Grade 2 student, aged 7, found in a pool of blood in school toilet

Police in the northern Indian city of Gurugram are investigating a shocking case in which a grade 2 student was found dead in his school toilet on Friday (8 September) morning.

Local media reports suggest the seven-year-old boy's throat was slit. He was identified as Praddhuman Thakur, a student of Ryan International School, Sohna Road.

Praddhuman's father, Varun Thakur who works in a garment-export firm, has accused the school of negligence. Parents of other students gathered outside the school after the news broke and were reportedly staging protests against the school management. Some even resorted to violence and damaged the school building, The Indian Express newspaper reported.

Thakur told the paper that he dropped his son off at school at around 7.30am local time (3am BST), but he received a call from the school saying Praddhuman's health has deteriorated. They asked him to reach Artemis hospital, where the child was pronounced dead.

"They told me his health deteriorated suddenly. They did not take care of my son. He could have been saved if he had been taken to hospital in time," the grieving father said.

A friend of Varun told the Times of India that Praddhuman's body had two sharp cuts on the neck. A knife was also recovered from near his body.

"The students alerted the teachers and the school management then informed police, who rushed him to Artemis Hospital. He was declared brought dead by doctors," Ravinder Kumar, PRO Gurgaon Police, told The Indian Express.

He added that a police team, including forensic experts, was at the scene and have already collected blood samples and finger prints to investigate the case. He confirmed a knife soaked in blood was also recovered from the spot.

"We are investigating the case from all angles ... of homicide, enmity and others. The police team is examining the CCTV footage from over 30 cameras installed on the school premises," the officer added.

Police is also questioning the staff members in the school and the classmates of the deceased. The body has been sent for postmortem, police reportedly said.