Gurugram school murder: Ryan International Group extends 'full cooperation' to police investigation

Gurugram: Ryan International School, where a 7-year-old boy was found murdered three days ago, said on Sunday that its management is “cooperating to our fullest” with the police investigations, and hoped that the guilty would be given the severest punishment as per law. In a statement, Ryan Pinto, CEO of Ryan International Schools Group, said the school should not be held “culpable of a crime where it is itself a victim of unfortunate circumstances.” [caption id=“attachment_4026315” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] People protest outside Ryan International School in Gurugram on Saturday. PTI[/caption] Insisting that well being and safety of students is the school’s priority, Pinto said, “We will not succumb to all the various false allegations being made nor will we fuel the various controversies being spread. we should not unjustly be blamed or branded as the perpetrators.” He said the Ryan International Group of schools was facing “one of its saddest periods” since its inception due to the loss of life of one of its innocent students, as a result of a reprehensible crime. “We are all in shock by the horror of this crime that occurred despite various security protocols,” he said. “We share the deep pain and grief of the bereaved parents and family in this darkest hour. On behalf of the entire school staff, students and management we want to extend our heartfelt condolences to the family,” the statement said. “It is understandable that everyone is seeking answers. So are we, and we are cooperating to our fullest with the police investigations,” said Pinto. He said the Ryan group has a four-decade-long reputation “as a credible educational institution educating lakhs of students across the nation. We would like to emphasise that Ryan School takes all efforts to ensure the security of its students.” The CEO said the school is giving complete cooperation to the investigating authorities and “we have total faith in the law. We hope that the investigations will be concluded soon, and the guilty get the severest punishment as per the due process of law.” He went on to add, “As the investigations are ongoing, we request all parties concerned to refrain from holding Ryan School culpable of a crime where it is itself a victim of unfortunate circumstances. “The investigation report should be out soon and all parties concerned need to wait until then. We request the public to refrain from turning violent and to let the police do their work.” While expressing confidence that “the truth will ultimately prevail”, he said, “Once again, we extend our heartfelt condolences to Praduman’s parents and we pray that God almighty would bestow His everlasting peace on the departed soul.”