The death of a 12-year-old student of Sainik School in Niglok, East Siang district, Arunachal Pradesh, has raised serious concerns about alleged ragging and institutional negligence inside the school campus. The student, identified as Class VII cadet Tadu Haro, was found dead on November 1 within the school premises.
According to the family, school authorities informed them in the morning that the boy had not reported for physical training and was later found unresponsive a few hundred metres from the hostel. The school is believed to have suggested suicide as the cause of death, claiming the student jumped from an overhead water tank.
However, Haro’s elder sister has publicly alleged that the boy was subjected to late-night ragging and harassment by senior students a day before his death. In a video statement, she said that on the night of October 31, a group of seniors from Classes VIII and X entered the Class VII dormitory after lights-out and assaulted all 11 juniors present. She further alleged that the boys then took her brother alone to their dormitory, where he was “mentally and physically tortured” and forced to admit to stealing books.
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According to her, CCTV footage shown to the family by police shows Haro walking restlessly through the campus around 5:40 am and entering a classroom to write a note. In the torn page later recovered by police, the boy reportedly wrote: “Seniors tortured me a lot and I don’t know what I will do now.” The family says they have not yet received the post-mortem report and fear interference in the investigation.
The Apatani Women Association Ziro (AWAZ), the apex women’s body of the Apatani community, has condemned the incident, calling it “deeply disturbing” and unacceptable. In a statement, the group demanded a fair, time-bound investigation and urged authorities to suspend school officials to prevent tampering with evidence. It also stressed the need for accountability in residential institutions, saying that student safety and welfare must not be compromised under any circumstances.
The death has triggered widespread concern across Arunachal Pradesh, with civil society groups, community leaders and local residents calling for transparency and justice. No arrests have been confirmed so far, and police have not released further details regarding the inquiry.
The family has appealed to the public for support, stating that unless action is taken, “it could happen to anyone in the future.”
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