Biswabrata Goswami
Krishnagar, 7 June: In a chilling case that has sent shockwaves across Nadia district, police have arrested two Class IX hostel inmates for allegedly murdering a seven-year-old girl in a bid to force the closure of their hostel, police said on Sunday.
The accused juveniles were produced before the Juvenile Justice Board after police claimed they had confessed to the crime during prolonged interrogation.
The victim, Sanjana Mondal (7), a Class I student of Queen’s Girls’ High School in Krishnagar and resident of Sandhyamath Para under Bhimpur police station, was staying at a girls’ hostel attached to the school. Her body was recovered from a hostel toilet on Sunday morning, triggering outrage among parents and residents and raising serious concerns over student safety in residential educational institutions.
According to investigators, the two accused girls, both students of Class IX and boarders in the same hostel, allegedly targeted the child as part of a premeditated plan aimed at creating a crisis severe enough to shut down the hostel.
Police sources said the teenagers were unhappy with the institution’s strict disciplinary regime, particularly restrictions on mobile phone use and limitations on leaving the hostel premises without permission.
“The victim appears to have been selected not because of any personal dispute but because the accused believed that such a grave incident would lead to the hostel’s closure,” a police source involved in the investigation said.
Investigators said the accused and the victim often shared the same sleeping space and slept on the same bed. On the night of the incident, the two girls allegedly took the child to the washroom and attempted to drown her by forcibly submerging her head in a bucket filled with water. They later allegedly used a blade to slash her wrist in an attempt to ensure her death.
The gruesome nature of the crime and the alleged motive have stunned investigators and child welfare experts alike.
Following the discovery of the body, police launched an intensive investigation. Several teams questioned hostel residents, teachers and staff members while forensic experts collected evidence from the scene. The body was sent for post-mortem examination.
The breakthrough came late on Friday night after sustained questioning of hostel inmates, police said. The two juveniles were subsequently detained and later arrested under relevant provisions of law.
Confirming the arrests, Y. Raghuvamshi, Superintendent of Police, Krishnagar Police District, said: “The girl was killed by her two inmates who also stayed with her in the hostel. After prolonged interrogation, the duo admitted to the crime.”
He added that the motive uncovered during questioning pointed towards resentment against the hostel’s strict rules.
“The accused were unhappy with the discipline maintained in the hostel. They were not able to use mobile phones freely and were dissatisfied with various restrictions. They believed that such an incident would result in the hostel being closed,” the SP said.
The incident has triggered widespread concern among educationists, psychologists and child rights activists, who have called for a comprehensive inquiry into the circumstances leading to the crime.
Questions are also being raised about whether behavioural warning signs among the accused students had gone unnoticed and whether adequate monitoring and counselling mechanisms were in place within the hostel.
Police officials said the investigation remains ongoing and may include detailed psychological assessments of the accused juveniles as well as a review of hostel management practices.
The murder of a seven-year-old child allegedly at the hands of fellow students has not only shaken Nadia district but has also reignited a wider debate on adolescent mental health, institutional supervision and the challenges of managing young boarders in residential schools.
