Arunachal: House masters, hostel superintendent held in Sainik School cadet's 'suicide' case

Itanagar, Nov 9 (IANS) Three staffers of a Sainik School in Arunachal Pradesh’s East Siang district have been arrested in connection with the alleged suicide of a 12-year-old cadet on the school campus, officials said on Sunday.

East Siang district Superintendent of Police Pankaj Lamba said the arrests were made on Saturday following a sustained investigation, including the recording of witness statements, forensic examination, and analysis of the sequence of events leading to the incident.

A case has been registered under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at the Ruksin Police Station, he added. Further investigation is underway.

The arrested staffers have been identified as Devendra Singh (42), House Master of Subansiri House (Junior Cadet Wing); Kangge Darin (31), House Master of Subansiri House (Senior Cadet Wing); and Amar Singh Thakur (51), Hostel Superintendent of the school. Singh hails from Mau district in Uttar Pradesh, Thakur from Bilaspur district in Himachal Pradesh, while Darin is a resident of East Siang district, Arunachal Pradesh.

According to the police, a Class 7 student allegedly died by suicide on the school campus on November 1.

The incident triggered state-wide outrage after reports surfaced that the boy had sent a message to his sister shortly before his death, claiming he was being “tortured by seniors.” The victim’s family alleged that the boy had been subjected to severe ragging and mental harassment in the hostel.

Earlier, in connection with the case, police had detained eight students, all juveniles, and produced them before the Juvenile Justice Board. The case was initially registered as an unnatural death, but preliminary investigation indicated the possible culpability of both students and staff members.

Arunachal Pradesh Education Minister Pasang Dorjee Sona visited the school and interacted with the authorities and police officials. The minister directed the school to extend full cooperation with the investigation and to conduct immediate counselling sessions for students coping with the trauma.

He also instructed the authorities to adopt strict preventive measures to eliminate all forms of physical or mental bullying on campus.

Taking to his official X account, Sona said: “Today, I visited Sainik School, East Siang, where the tragic death of young student Tadu Haro has deeply shaken us all. I took stock of the ongoing investigation and directed the school authorities to extend full cooperation with the police.”

He added: “Held a meeting today with SP Pasighat Shri Pankaj Lamba, IPS, and DDSE Shri Odhuk Tabing to review the progress of investigations into the recent incidents at Sanggo Residential English School, Mebo, and Sainik School, East Siang.”

--IANS

sc/uk