NEW DELHI, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- In a rare step, the local government in the northern Indian state of Haryana has taken over a prominent private school in Gurgaon, a city on the outskirts of Delhi, over the brutal murder of a seven-year-old student on its campus last week.
This was announced by Haryana's Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Friday evening after he met with the parents of the murdered class II student of Ryan International School in their home in Gurgaon's Bhondsi area.
"The state government will take control of Ryan International School for three months. We have also ordered a federal probe into the murder as demanded by the murdered boy's parents. Everything will be done to ensure justice to the family," the chief minister told the media.
The boy was found with his throat slit at the toilet of the school last Friday and police on the same day claimed to have arrested a school bus conductor, who has confessed to killing the boy after trying to sexually assault him.
The murder led to several protests in many parts of the country, and brought the safety of school children in sharp focus.
India's Supreme Court Friday also issued a notice to the central government and governments of all the states seeking their response on the adherence of existing guidelines for safety of children in schools across the country.
Police in Gurgaon have already arrested two senior officials of the school for failing to provide security to students on the campus. They are also planning to question Ryan Group's owners in the case.
The school, which has been closed since the incident, has, however, denied inadequate security on its campus where the boy was killed.
