Cadet’s death: Three Arunachal Sainik School staff members arrested

GUWAHATI

The police in Arunachal Pradesh’s East Siang district have arrested three Sainik School staff members in connection with the death of a 12-year-old cadet following allegations of bullying and torture by senior students.

According to a statement issued by the district’s Superintendent of Police, Pankaj Lamba, the trio was arrested on Saturday (November 8, 2025) based on a case filed at the Ruksin police station under relevant Sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

The three are house masters Devendra Singh, 42, and Kangge Darin, 31, from Uttar Pradesh’s Mau district and East Siang district, respectively, and hostel superintendent Amar Singh Thakur, 51, from Himachal Pradesh’s Bilaspur district.

They were arrested after the police examined witness statements, forensic evidence, and the sequence of events that led to the death of the Class 7 cadet.

The boy was found dead on November 1 inside the premises of Sainik School at Niglok in East Siang district. His death triggered outrage after reports that he had sent a message to his sister before his death, alleging that seniors were torturing him.

Members of the boy’s family alleged that he was subjected to “severe ragging and mental harassment” inside the hostel.

The district police had earlier detained eight students of the school in connection with the case and produced them before the Juvenile Justice Board.

Initially registered as an unnatural death, the case was reclassified under abetment-related provisions of the BNS after preliminary findings indicated the possible culpability of students and staff members.

The Sainik School at Niglok is a residential institution operated under the Sainik Schools Society of the Union Ministry of Defence. It seeks to prepare cadets for entry into the National Defence Academy and other armed forces institutions.