Tezpur, May 29: The Assam State Commission for Protection of Child Rights today said the beheading of five-year-old Sajan Bag by a priest in the Rangapara area of northern Assam's Sonitpur district yesterday was a case of murder and not human sacrifice for any ritual.

A memorial meeting was held at the child's school, Ankur Bikash Jatiya Vidyalaya, today. Sajan was killed by Nanu Mridha, an acquaintance of his father Sanatan Bag. They had once worked together in Manipur and were neighbours from Torajuli tea estate near Rangapara town.

Runumi Gogoi, chairperson of the commission, told The Telegraph in Guwahati that she had been in touch with Sonitpur superintendent of police Sanjukta Parashar since yesterday and has also sought an action taken report on the incident, which has left the area tense.

Mridha, who beheaded the boy, was subsequently lynched by a mob.

"During my conversations with the SP, I have been told that it was not a case of human sacrifice but plain murder. The five-year-old became the victim of enmity between the two men. I was told Mridha was not a tantrik. He was beaten up and injured in the leg by Sanatan over some monetary dispute some time back. He carried a grudge and lured the boy to his house since it was a holiday yesterday and killed him. Since there were photographs of gods and goddesses in the house it gave an impression that it was a human sacrifice. However, it has come to light that the man was violent by nature but nobody reported it to the police. The SP has told me that the report will contain these findings," Gogoi said.

She also said the unfortunate incident, however, raised uncomfortable questions about how a man of Mridha's nature could roam freely and what the government was doing to create awareness on health and education in underdeveloped areas. The commission will be visiting the area on June 3.

Jaya Saikia Das, principal-cum-managing director of Ankur Bikash Jatiya Vidyalaya, said Sajan was full of life and his demise has left the school shocked.

The school today postponed its half-yearly exams and observed a condolence meet on the campus where students, staff and local residents paid tributes to the child, who was cremated in the evening in the presence of a large gathering.

Nobody has been arrested in connection with the lynching. The police have, however, kept the wife and two children of Mridha in safe custody to prevent any reprisal from restive locals.

Parashar told The Telegraph, "It was murder and the culprit, who was lynched by the mob, was not a tantrik. He sometimes created this image of himself and also used to torture his wife, who was not at home when the incident took place."

Rangapara is about 35km from Tezpur and 215km from Guwahati.

The Torajuli tea garden is about 8km from Rangapara town bordering Assam-Arunachal Pradesh.

Krishna Kamal Tanti, AATSA district president, who was present in the garden this morning, said medical and education facilities in the garden are very poor and the authorities need to do more on this front.

The AATSA will launch a campaign in the garden area to prevent a repeat of such incident.

In another incident, a student of Class VIII from the same school has also been threatened with dire consequences by a tantrik, Anil Sarmah, 65, from Ward No. 2. He has been arrested, school principal Das said.

Additional reporting by Umanand Jaiswal