A five-year-old in Brijpuri madrasa in northeast Delhi's Dayalpur was allegedly killed by three students, aged between 9 and 11 years who were arrested on Saturday.
Police stated that the boy died under 'mysterious circumstances' as blisters were found on the his neck, abdomen and groin area.
Further autopsy revealed that the boy had multiple internal injuries as well. His liver was ruptured and there was bleeding in abdomen and right lung.
Police said that the victim was beaten by other inmates, who were arrested.
During interrogation, the accused provided conflicting explanations for the incident; one version claimed the victim had insulted them, leading to a fight, while another version said they thought killing him would result in a holiday from madrasa.
A CCTV footage has confirmed the findings and police are probing role of others, a police statement said.
According to police, they had received a call about the death of a boy at Brijpuri madrasa at 9.52 pm on Friday.
"At 6.30 pm on Friday, the boy's mother was informed that her son was sick. She took him to a private hospital in Brijpuri, where doctors declared him dead," a police officer said.
She returned with her son's body to the madrasa where a large crowd gathered.
People kept the body on the road outside the madrasa and demanded action against the administration, the officer said.
Police reached the spot and took the body to the mortuary of GTB Hospital and assured the crowd of an investigation after which it dispersed, the officer said.
The mother, a domestic help in west Delhi's Punjabi Bagh area, told police that her son had been studying at the madrasa for the past five months.
The boy's father lives in Uttar Pradesh and comes here once a month. The couple has two more children, a 10-year-old boy and eight-year-old girl, who live with the mother.
Haji Din Mohammad is the principal of the madrasa, where about 250 boys study. Of these, 150 are from outside Delhi, primarily from Uttar Pradesh, police said.
According to India Today, further investigation found that the three students got the idea for the crime from a TV show they watched.
The madrasa is closed, and all the children have been sent home as per latest reports.
The police are handling the case according to the rules of the Juvenile Justice Board.
