Pasighat: Police in Arunachal Pradesh’s East Siang district have arrested three staff members of Sainik School East Siang in connection with the death of 12-year-old cadet Tadu Haro, who was allegedly subjected to severe bullying by senior students before being found dead on November 1.
The arrests, made on November 8 after an extensive investigation, include Devendra Singh (42), house master of Subansiri House (Junior Cadet Wing) from Mau district in Uttar Pradesh; Kangge Darin (31), house master of Subansiri House (Senior Cadet Wing) from Yagrung village in East Siang; and Amar Singh Thakur (51), hostel superintendent from Bilaspur district in Himachal Pradesh. The case has been registered at Ruksin Police Station under sections 108/106(1)/3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The investigation intensified after the victim’s sister, Miss Arunachal 2024 Tadu Lunia, alleged in a social media post that her brother had been tortured by senior students on the night of October 31. While the family was initially told that Haro had died by suicide, Lunia claimed that dormitory mates later revealed details suggesting that he had been driven to take his own life after being branded a “thief” and threatened with humiliation.
According to her account, a group of eight Class 10 students and three from Class 8 allegedly entered the Class 7 dormitory after 11 pm, when no staff were present, and took Haro to another room where he was allegedly harassed. CCTV footage reportedly showed him pacing anxiously around 5:45 am before entering a classroom to write a final note that read, “Seniors tortured me a lot, and I don’t know what I will do now.”
In response to mounting public outrage, the Apatani Youth Association submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister, Governor, and senior officials on November 4, demanding suspension of all staff on duty during the incident and a thorough probe into the circumstances leading to the boy’s death.
The tragedy has sparked widespread protests, including a candlelight march in Seppa on Monday, where the Women Welfare Organisation, community groups, and students called for justice and accountability.
Police confirmed that eight students have been detained and produced before the Juvenile Justice Board in Pasighat. The case, initially filed under Section 194 of the BNS, was later reclassified following a fresh FIR lodged by the victim’s father alleging ragging by seniors.
An official statement from the East Siang Police said the arrests were made after a “sustained investigation, recording of witness statements, and detailed analysis of the sequence of events.” Further investigation into the case is ongoing.
