In a shocking incident, two boys aged seven and 11 allegedly slit the throat of a seven-year-old schoolmate and left him to bleed to death in Guntur district on Sunday night.
Sub-Inspector Srinivas Reddy of the Tadepalli police station said the killing of Abdul Qayyum, a student of a madrasa at Nulakpet, could be the fallout of a recent quarrel between him and the two accused. The two boys reportedly bullied Abdul, a good student, regularly. They were produced before the juvenile court in Guntur, which sent them to a government observation home in Vijayawada till July 9.
According to the police, Abdul and one of his assailants, his senior in school, had recently quarreled. When the matter had reached the ears of the school warden, he had summoned the duo and given them both a dressing down. The humiliated senior then allegedly hatched a plot along with a junior to kill Abdul. He reportedly stole a knife from the madrasa kitchen and hid it in his room. On Sunday night, he called the victim to his room on the pretext of playing a game. As soon as Abdul reached the room, the duo pinned him down and the older boy allegedly slashed his throat. Another student who witnessed the gruesome killing was threatened into silence.
After the murder was detected, the madrasa management called the police. During the police interrogation, the student who had witnessed the killing spilled the beans.
Hafiz Abdul Wahid, head of the Jamia Dar-ul-Kir, which runs the fully residential madasa, told reporters the victim and the assailants had good track records and had not once showed any aberrant behaviour. He said the madrasa had altogether 102 students of which about 50 per cent were orphans. The remaining came from poor families who could not afford to educate their children.
After the murder was detected, the madrasa management called the police. During the police interrogation, the student who had witnessed the killing spilled the beans.
Hafiz Abdul Wahid, head of the Jamia Dar-ul-Kir, which runs the fully residential madasa, told reporters the victim and the assailants had good track records and had not once showed any aberrant behaviour. He said the madrasa had altogether 102 students of which about 50 per cent were orphans. The remaining came from poor families who could not afford to educate their children.
Abdul was the son of an auto mechanic from Vijayawada and had joined the madrasa only 10 days ago, when it had opened after the summer vacation.
Wahid said eight sets of parents had taken away their children since the incident.