Bengaluru: A 12-year-old boy has died under highly suspicious circumstances at a prominent residential school in Bengaluru, triggering furious protests from his family who allege he was assaulted by a physical education teacher.

The deceased, identified as Gurukiran, was a Class 6 student at the boarding school located in Kadayarappanahalli village, Bengaluru North Taluk. He was the son of Raghavendra, a resident of Subedarpalya.

According to the school administration, the young boy collapsed early in the morning while jogging on the campus grounds. School staff called his parents at around 6 am to inform them that their son had taken ill and was being moved to a hospital. However, by the time his family arrived, the child was already dead.

Allegations of iron rods and severed CCTV wires

The grieving family has rejected the school's version of events, claiming Gurukiran was subjected to brutal physical violence. They allege that internal pressure and an assault with weapons within the school led to his untimely death.

Speaking to reporters, Gurukiran's devastated father, Raghavendra, said, "My son was admitted to this school when he was studying in Class 5. The school claims that he collapsed while jogging this morning. But when we reached the hospital, we found him dead. I suspect something happened inside the school. The teachers might have assaulted him or done something to him."

He further claimed that another student had secretly tipped off the family about the harsh treatment inside the hostel.

"We have been told that the physical education teacher assaulted him. The police are protecting the teacher," Raghavendra alleged, adding that his son had never previously complained.

"He never shared any complaints with us. What could happen to a child studying in Class 6? I strongly suspect he was assaulted. The school called us at around 6 am, saying he had collapsed while jogging and that his pulse rate had dropped," he said.

Meanwhile, the boy's aunt, Yashasvini, pointed to a suspected cover-up, alleging that the family was initially blocked from seeing the body and that critical digital evidence had been intentionally destroyed.

"When we reached the hospital, we were not allowed to see the child's body. We later learned that the school staff had taken him to another hospital. We don't know what actually happened. When we asked the management for the CCTV footage, they claimed that the cameras were damaged and the footage was unavailable," she said.

Family members who inspected the campus claimed that the security cameras covering the jogging tracks and the medical room had been physically ripped out and their wires severed.

"If he suffered a heart attack, there should have been some signs," Yashasvini added.

"They have not provided any proper explanation and are simply saying that he collapsed while jogging. He was perfectly healthy. During the summer vacation, he spent time with us and never had any health issues. He was never hospitalised before. How are we supposed to believe this?"

Furious protests and police intervention

As news of the death spread, enraged relatives and parents gathered outside the campus gates to stage a massive protest. At one point, the situation grew extremely volatile as the angry crowd managed to breach the line and assault the accused physical education teacher in front of the authorities.

Officers from the Bagalur Police Station intervened to rescue the teacher from the mob and have since launched a comprehensive investigation to determine the exact cause of death.

Repeated phone calls to the residential school administration for a statement went unanswered.

IANS