Saraswat, a class 6 student at a Delhi government school in North Delhi, died at the Deep Chand Bandhu Hospital on 20 January, nine days after he was allegedly "beaten up" by his school seniors, the family has alleged.
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"My child was beaten so badly that he could not get out of bed till his last breath. No one can explain what we are going through."
Tears don't stop rolling down the eyes of 40-year-old Rahul Saraswat and his 37-year-old wife Soni as they recount the loss of their 12-year-old son Kintan who passed away on 20 January – nine days after he was allegedly beaten up by his seniors at a government school in North Delhi. Meanwhile, their 13-year-old daughter Tannu stays mum, finding comfort in repeatedly hugging her grandmother.
As the family sits inside their modest two-bedroom house in Shastri Nagar, Rahul tells The Quint, "I didn't lose a child; I lost my soul with him... what did my child do to deserve this? Why did God do this to us?"
Rahul Saraswat and his family of four moved to Delhi three years ago, with hopes to find better employment and education for his two children. While Rahul is a daily-wage worker at a private courier company in Delhi, Soni is a homemaker.
The alleged incident took place on 11 January, the parents said. When 12-year-old Kintan returned from school at around 2:30 pm, he was "limping and was in a lot of pain," Soni recalled.
Kintan had sustained injuries on his left knee. Despite multiple attempts by The Quint, authorities from Sarvodya Bal Vidyalaya School were unavailable for comments.
The family then took him to Deep Chand Bandhu Hospital for a check-up.
"The doctors gave us medicines and referred us to the orthopaedics department. The staff told us that the orthopaedics specialists were unavailable and on leave and asked us to come back after three days," Rahul claimed.
While Kintan felt better after the medicines, the family claimed to The Quint that he began experiencing pain again a few days later.
Kintan was once again taken to Deep Chand Bandhu for treatment.
Kintan's father said that in the last nine days, he had visited the school at least four times to talk to the authorities regarding the assault against his son.
He further claimed that every time he tried to visit the school, he was given a reason and "sent away."
Meanwhile, during his visit to the school on 12 January, two students from Kintan's class confirmed to him that his son was allegedly attacked by the seniors, Rahul said. However, none of them were able to identify the students.
The Quint also reached out to the school's principal multiple attempts. The story will be updated as and when when they respond.
The parents also claimed "negligence" by doctors and staff at the hospital. Denying the allegations, Deep Chand Bandhu Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr Vatsala Aggarwal told The Quint:
The Delhi Police is yet to register an FIR into the incident, Deputy Commissioner of Police (north) Manoj Kumar Meena confirmed on Wednesday, 24 January.
Another police official The Quint spoke to said, "The only visible injury in Kintan was that on his knee. So, we need to wait for the post-mortem report to know what caused his death."
Meanwhile, in a statement released on Tuesday, 23 January, the Delhi government set up a committee and ordered a probe into the matter. The government has asked the committee to file its report within two days.
Rahul and Soni remember Kintan as a "happy, smart, and well-behaved" child, who loved making videos on social media.
Rahul and Soni Saraswat remember their son Kintan by looking at his drawing books.
Meanwhile, Rahul said that his son had dreamt of joining the Indian Air Force. All Rahul and Soni Saraswat want is justice for what had happened to their son.
(Correction: The article incorrectly stated that Kintan Saraswat aspired to join the Indian Army. He wanted to join the Indian Air Force, according to his father. The error is regretted.)
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