Class 2 student killed to bring 'prosperity' to school in UP's Hathras; 5 arrested

Agra: In a shocking incident, a class 2 student was killed by the owners of his school in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh as part of an alleged "sacrificial ritual," as reported by PTI. According to the police, the ritual was reportedly performed in an attempt to make the school more "prosperous."

In connection with the incident, the owner and director of the school, the principal and two teachers were arrested for their alleged involvement in the killing on Monday, police added.

Police have revealed that the post-mortem report of the class 2 student shows he was strangled to death. Jasodhan Singh, the owner of DL Public School, who believes in "tantrik rituals", instructed his son, Dinesh Baghel, the school’s director, to sacrifice a child for the prosperity of the school and their family.

Along with Jasodhan and Dinesh, the school principal, Laxman Singh, and two teachers, Ramprakash Solanki and Veerpal Singh, have also been arrested. The police have filed an FIR under Section 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023 against all five, and they have been sent to jail.

According to Ashok Kumar Singh, Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) in Hathras, the student, Kritarth, who was in class 2 at DL Public School, was abducted from the school's hostel on September 23 by Ramprakash, Dinesh, and Jasodhan. Jasodhan, believing in "tantra", asked his son to sacrifice a child for the prosperity of the school and their family.

The group took the child to a remote location for the sacrifice. However, Kritarth woke up and began to cry. He was then strangled, with Veerpal and Laxman also present at the scene, standing guard. The accused told the child’s parents that Kritarth was unwell and being taken to the hospital in Baghel’s car. Suspicious, the family stopped the car and informed the police about the child’s death.

The post-mortem confirmed that he had been strangled, and during the investigation, the accused confessed that the student was killed as a sacrifice for the school’s and family’s prosperity, the ASP added.