Little Chethan gets a teary farewell

Eight-year-old Pavan was among the many waiting for the body of Chethan S, who was brutally murdered by thieves on Wednesday, suspecting that he had identified them. Hours before this, Chethan was talking, sitting next to Pavan at St Philomina’s High School in Maruthi Nagar, off Magadi Road. Little did Pavan know that it would be his last conversation with his benchmate.
On Thursday morning when his parents told him that Chethan was no more, Pavan broke down and so did many others in the school. When TOI asked him about his 8-yearold friend, all that Pavan did was pointing out to the seat where they used to sit, and said the last thing he remembered about Chethan was him saying bye before leaving school.
A day after the class 2 student was murdered by intruders in his home, the entire Veerabhadraiah Layout gathered to get the last glimpse of the boy. Over 200 people gathered in front of the school where the body was kept for public to pay their last respects. The mourners were furious over the crime.“This is a neighbourhood school and most of us know each family personally. It was on Wednesday night I received a call from Chethan’s uncle, informing us about the incident,’’ said V A Sharath, one of the teachers.