CCTV showed Prince getting choked in 2-min scuffle: Delhi cops

Two days after a 12-year-old boy died after a fight with another student at a private school in Vasant Vihar, Delhi Police officers probing the case on Thursday said that CCTV footage has emerged that purportedly showed that the latter held the deceased’s throat for around six seconds, following which the victim fell to the ground.
The deceased, identified as Class 6 student Prince, died in hospital hours after the fight on Tuesday, triggering protests from his parents, who accused Chinmaya Vidyalaya, the school in question, of negligence. The other student, also 12 years old, was apprehended the next day and booked under section 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), police said.
Sharing details of the CCTV footage, an investigator probing the case said that the fight between Prince and the other student went on for about two minutes.
“In the video, it’s visible that the two students are hitting each other near the blackboard. The other boy then held Prince’s throat for six seconds. Right after, Prince fell to the ground. No teacher was visible till this point,” the investigator said, on condition of anonymity.
To be sure, Chinmaya Vidyalaya principal Archana Soni on Tuesday had said that soon after the fight broke out, school authorities had immediately intervened. “We took immediate action in breaking off the fight and there were no apparent injury marks on the student [Prince],” she had said.
Including the CCTV footage that shows the fight, police are currently in possession of around 15 minutes of clips related to the incident which clarify the sequence of events, leading to the apprehension of the other student, the investigator quoted above said.
Prince is survived by his father, Sagar, who works as a drain cleaner, his mother, Neetu, who is a homemaker, and his 14-year-old brother. He was enrolled at Chinmaya Vidyalaya under the economically weaker section quota, and his family belongs to the Scheduled Caste community.
The other student, police said, is from a lower middle-class family. “However, he was not enrolled under the EWS quota,” the investigator quoted above said.
A second officer, who questioned the student, said he was in shock and was not aware of the consequences of his actions. “The boys were fighting and he didn’t realise that his actions could lead to the death of his fellow student,” the officer said.
Meanwhile, Prince’s family said that while the other student is at fault for the boy’s death, the teachers of the school are equally responsible because of their negligence.
“There was no teacher present when the scuffle broke out. The teachers have a responsibility to keep children safe. How could they leave so many kids unattended?” asked Prince’s aunt Arti, 32, a resident of Kusumpur Pahadi.
CM orders magisterial probe
Chief minister Atishi on Thursday ordered a magisterial probe into Prince’s death.
Atishi in a communique to the Delhi chief secretary, said, “A 12-year-old boy Prince died on December 3 in an incident in Chinmaya Vidyalaya. This is an extremely serious incident that raises questions regarding the safety and security of students who study in schools across Delhi.”
She added, “In light of these concerns, it is hereby directed that a magisterial enquiry, under section 196 of BNS be conducted in the matter. A preliminary report to be submitted within three days.”