UKHRUL, NOVEMBER 11: The bail hearing for the Sainik school student death case was held on Tuesday (November 11). The case took an unforeseen turn when the Principal Magistrate of the Juvenile Board (JJB) recused himself from giving an order and left the courtroom without providing a proper reason.
A verdict was later passed by the JJB, stating that the 8 accused students would be placed under the custody of the Vice Principal, where the accused will be staying separately at the school instead of being sent to a juvenile home. This decision has been met with widespread outrage, with many questioning the fairness of the judicial process.
The CCTV footage of the incident revealed horrifying details about the extent of the bully and harassing the victim suffered. According to the footage, a group of 3 class 8 students initially punished the victim for around 30mins during which his legs were visibly trembling. Later, class 10 students joined in collectively punishing the class 7 students together before singling out the victim for additional punishment.
A class 11 student reportedly attempted to intervene but was unable to stop the abuse. The victim endured nearly 3 hours of mental and physical harassment before the fatal incident occurred.
A review of the CCTV footage has revealed that three more students have been implicated in the incident. As a result, the parents of the victim have announced that they will file a complaint against them as well.
Parents of Sainik School students have expressed deep concern over the accused remaining in school grounds. Several parents allege that despite the JJB’s directive, the accused students were seen playing and eating with others despite being placed under the Vice Principal’s custody since November 4.
The victim’s family has demanded that the accused be transferred to a juvenile home until the trial concludes and the school implements strict anti-bullying protocols to ensure the safety of students.
They have also urged the authorities to secure and review 15 days of CCTV backup footage, believing that the incident was part of ongoing bullying rather than a one-time occurrence.
The next hearing is scheduled for November 15.