The family of a 12-year-old Class 7 student who died at Sainik School near Ruksin in Arunachal Pradesh's East Siang district has alleged he was subjected to severe bullying and torture by senior students before his death.
Miss Arunachal 2024 Tadu Lunia, the deceased boy's sister, said in a video message that school authorities informed her family on November 1 that her brother was missing from his morning physical training class. His body was later discovered a few hundred meters from the school, with authorities initially assuming he died by suicide after jumping from an overhead water tank.
According to Lunia, when the family collected his belongings, classmates and dormmates revealed disturbing details. On the night of October 31, a group of eleven senior students eight from Class 10 and three from Class 8 allegedly entered the Class 7 dormitory and ragged everyone. Her brother was singled out and taken alone to the Class 10 dormitory while other students were told to cover their heads with blankets.
The sister alleged her brother was denied sleep and subjected to mental and physical harassment. Dormmates reportedly said he was forced to write that he was a thief for taking books from seniors without permission. CCTV footage shown to the family revealed the boy going up and down restlessly, appearing stressed and mentally disturbed. He was later seen entering a classroom and writing a note stating, "Seniors tortured me a lot, and I don't know what I will do now."
Arunachal Pradesh Police have detained eight students in connection with the case, producing them before the Juvenile Justice Board in Pasighat. The board sent them into the custody of the school's vice-principal for seven days. The case, initially registered under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, was upgraded after the father filed an additional complaint alleging ragging on November 3.
Authorities have assured that investigations are underway to determine the complete circumstances surrounding the death.
