Rupesh, a nursery-level student nurtured by the ashram for over a month, was found dead in his bed on Tuesday morning. Even though the boy was no longer alive, Sudhananda had rushed the body to nearby Om Hospital. [break]
After 24 hours of grilling, Keshav, a seventh grader from Karmaiya, Sarlahi, confessed that he battered and killed Rupesh on the trivial excuse of occupying his bed, said DSP Govinda Pariyar, chief of Metropolitan Police Circle, Bauddha.
Police have booked Keshav for homicide, and Sudhananda and Sharan Koirala, a subordinate, as accomplices for taking the body to hospital.
In a statement to police, Keshav explained how he tortured the boy to death.
Keshav repeatedly knocked the boy against the wall of the toilet, each time the child falling heavily on the hard floor. The body was found with bruises and cuts.
Having mercilessly battered Rupesh, Keshav brought him back to his bed where he is thought to have died within a couple of hours. "The whole episode must have taken place between 8 p.m. and midnight," said DSP Pariyar.
Sudhananda, who was sleeping in an adjoining room while the battering was taking place, said his failure to intervene and save the child was an ´oversight´ and that he also tried to hide the incident for the sake of ´prestige´, according to police.
The ashram, looked after by Sudhananda since its inception four years ago, houses and schools 60 children. Rupesh was admitted to the ashram last month by her mother, Kavita, who works as a cleaning woman at a hotel in the Pashupati area.
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