5-year-old boy killed in Delhi madrasa ‘to get leave’

A five-year-old boy living at madrasa in northeast Delhi died after he was allegedly assaulted by three fellow students, aged between 9 and 11 years, over a fight and because they wanted “to get a leave”, police said on Saturday.
The minors have been apprehended in connection with the boy’s death that took place on Friday night. His body was recovered with multiple injuries and blisters. Police earlier said that Haji Din Mohammad, the principal of the madrasa located in Dayalpur area, told investigators that the boy died due to a “skin disease”.
However, the postmortem examination report revealed that the boy suffered multiple internal injuries, including a ruptured liver, abdominal bleeding, and bleeding inside the right lung, police said.
According to police, the boy’s family had sent him to live in the madrasa around five months ago.
“We received a call around 9.52pm on Friday about the boy’s death. He was found at his madrasa with huge blisters and injuries on his neck, abdomen and groin area. His mother told us that she works as a domestic help and has three children. The family had sent the boy to the madrasa,” said deputy commissioner of police (northeast) Joy N Tirkey.
His mother, a domestic help, lives in Punjabi Bagh, while his father lives in Uttar Pradesh. “The mother told us that she sent her son to the madrasa five months ago. On Friday evening, she was told her child was sick. The child was taken to a private hospital in Brijpuri where doctors declared him dead,” said the DCP.
Police began investigation into the case and scanned CCTV footage of the madrasa, which purportedly showed “the three minors assaulting the boy” on Friday afternoon.
“We apprehended them on Saturday and questioned them,” the DCP said.
During interrogation, the three children said that they were upset with the victim because he had hurled abuses at them earlier. The minors also decided to kill the boy as they wanted to go back to their homes and thought the principal would grant everyone leave after the death of a student, the police officer said.
A case of murder has been registered in this connection. Police are also probing the role of other people in the boy’s death.
Police inquiry revealed that there are over 250 boys at the madrasa, with over 150 boys belonging to UP. On Friday night, family members and locals staged a protest against the principal and clergy at the madrasa. Police said that the boy’s body was later taken to GTB Hospital after the protesters were removed. A few parents took their children back home after the incident, they added.