[ Bengia Ajum ]
NIGLOK, 9 Nov: In a major development, the East Siang police have arrested three officials of the Sainik School here in connection with the death of cadet Tadu Haro, who was found dead on the overhead water supply tank within the school campus on 1 November.
East Siang SP Pankaj Lamba informed that the arrests were made on Saturday after a detailed investigation and examination of the available evidence.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Devendra Singh, house master of Subansiri House (junior cadet wing); Kangge Darin, house master of Subansiri House (senior cadet wing); and Amar Singh Thakur, hostel superintendent of the school.
The SP further stated that the arrests were made following a sustained investigation, recording of witness statements, and analysis of the sequence of events leading to the incident. Further investigation in the case is underway, the SP added.
Earlier, the police received the postmortem report of Haro on Thursday. A case has been registered under Sections 108/106(1)/3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), based on an FIR lodged by Tadu Tani, the father of the deceased student, at the Ruksin police station.
Miss Arunachal 2024, Tadu Lunia, the elder sister of the deceased, stated in a video posted on her Instagram page that when the family went to collect her late brother’s belongings, his classmates and dormitory mates revealed that on the night of 31 October, eight students from Class 10 and three from Class 8 entered the Class 7 dormitory after 11 pm, when the lights were off and no authority or warden was present. They allegedly ragged all the students in the dormitory.
According to Lunia, the dormitory mates also informed the family that the senior boys had asked everyone to cover their heads with blankets, except for her brother, whom they took away. “The boys who witnessed the incident on 31 October told us that my brother was taken alone to the Class 10 dormitory. Nobody knows what happened behind that closed door,” Lunia said.
She further stated that some eyewitnesses informed the family that her brother was not allowed to sleep and was tortured and harassed both mentally and physically for hours inside the Class 10 dormitory.
The death of the 12-year-old student has shocked the entire state. Questions are now being raised about the safety of students at the Sainik School, with many parents expressing apprehension over the alleged ragging culture in the institution.
