Ashok Kumar at his residence in Ghamroj village, Wednesday. Manoj Kumar Ashok Kumar at his residence in Ghamroj village, Wednesday. Manoj Kumar The bus conductor, who was initially accused of murdering seven-year-old Pradyuman Thakur inside a ground floor washroom of Ryan International School, walked out of Bhondsi jail around 7 pm on Wednesday, after more than two months. Ashok Kumar alleged that he had been “slapped and beaten” and made to confess to a crime he never committed. Kumar had been arrested and sent to prison on September 8 after police said he had admitted to killing the child, when he resisted his sexual advances. His bail application was approved by a Gurgaon court Tuesday, against a bond of Rs 50,000. “The money for the bail was collected from villagers and other well-wishers,” said Mahesh, a resident of Ghamroj village, where Kumar resides with his wife and two children. “We have all been collecting money for Kumar since his arrest, to pay lawyers’ bills and ensure that we have the money to meet other expenses, including the amount it takes to commute to prison each time his relatives went to meet him,” Mahesh said. With electricity unavailable on Wednesday evening in Ghamroj village, Kumar reached his neighbourhood under the cover of darkness. He was hustled into the house of a neighbour, where he breathed a sigh of relief. Kumar did not speak on his experience inside the jail over the last two months, but hoped that justice would be served. “I want to thank my lawyers and everyone else who supported me through this time. I hope justice will be served,” he said. For all the latest Delhi News, download Indian Express App

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