CBI names bus conductor as prime witness in Ryan International murder; man was earlier the main accused in the case

Gurgaon: The CBI on Monday arrayed Ashok Kumar, a bus conductor of a private school in the Bhondsi area, as one of the prime witnesses in its chargesheet in the alleged murder case of a seven-year-old student. Kumar was arrested by the Gurgaon police as the main accused in the case. However, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday gave him a clean chit and sought his discharge from the case. The central probe agency has named 127 people as witnesses in the case, of whom 19 have been arrayed as prime witnesses, including two judicial officers. A prime witness is one who is directly associated with the case and his version substantially helps to corroborate the prosecution’s arguments. [caption id=“attachment_4311737” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Reuters[/caption] The statements of these 19 witnesses have been recorded under section 164, CrPC, under which any metropolitan magistrate or judicial magistrate may, whether he has jurisdiction over the case or not, record any confession or statement made to him in the course of the investigation. Some of the prime witnesses are the school’s gardener, Harpal, who first saw the body of Pradyuman, the seven-year-old victim, and teachers. In the chargesheet, the CBI has said there is no evidence against Kumar, who is currently out on bail, and that he was coerced by the Gurgaon police to confess to the crime.