Ryan murder: His dreams to become a pilot came to a crashing end

His neighbours in Shyam Kunj, Bhondsi, are still in a state of shock that the bubbly and smiling boy, who was very well-disciplined and set examples for other kids, was no more.

The eight-year-old boy brutally murdered in Ryan International School had dreamt of becoming a pilot. His shattered parents remembered how excited he used to be to watch aeroplanes in the sky and discuss his future plans with his father -- how he wanted to be a pilot.

Gurgaon, India - Sept. 9, 2017: People gathering outside the Ryan International School demanding action against school, in Gurgaon, India, on Saturday, September 9, 2017. (Photo by Sanjeev Verma/ Hindustan Times) (Sanjeev Verma/HT PHOTO)

As if the victim had sensed trouble, he complained on Friday morning to his father that he could not sleep the whole night. “He was sleepy even though there was no power cut on Wednesday night. It seemed as if he had sensed something,” said the father.

His neighbours in Shyam Kunj, Bhondsi, are still in a state of shock that the bubbly and smiling boy, who was very well-disciplined and set examples for other kids, was no more.

The victim was described by family members as a very intelligent, bright student who was fond of playing cricket and football. He was super active and never sat in one place for more than five minutes.

“He had a sweet tooth and was fond of fruits, chocolates and Indian sweets. He loved Anar (pomegrante) and it was his favourite fruit. Whenever I got sweets at home, he used to secretly slip off them from fridge,” remembered the mourning father on Sunday.

He was responsible and never disobeyed his parents, teachers and other family members.

On Friday, he woke up with excitement to attend his best friend’s birthday and even shared this with his mother.

“While he was getting ready, I was asking my daughter to keep her pencil, eraser, scale in her pencil box as it was her exam. She was stressed but he was teasing her and was excited about his friend’s birthday,” said the sobbing mother.

The neighbours said he was a disciplined boy and even had a fixed playing time -- between 6-7 pm.

“He took a few biscuits with milk and left for the school. Though he used to sit at the rear, but that day he fought with his sister that he will sit on the front seat with his father and was teasing her on his way to school,” said the father.

“My son is very careless and I often scolded him and asked him to follow the boy (victim) who was so disciplined and well mannered. Whenever he attended any birthday party in the neighbourhood, he was never seen misbehaving and used to play without creating a ruckus,” said a neighbour.