India, May 27 -- N early eight years after the murder of a seven-year-old student inside an elite Gurugram school shocked the country and sparked nationwide outrage over child safety, the case is now headed for a screen adaptation. Mumbai-based production house Matchbox Shots, known for titles such as Andhadhun (2018), Monica, O My Darling (2022), Three of Us (2022), Scoop, IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack and Khauf, has acquired the screen rights to The Gurugram School Murder by senior Hindustan Times editor and crime journalist Leena Dhankhar. Published in 2024, the book revisits the events of September 8, 2017, when seven-year-old Prince - a pseudonym used under juvenile protection laws - was found murdered in his school bathroom in Gurugram. The case initially saw the arrest of a school bus conductor before the CBI later arrested a student from the same school, alleging the murder was committed to postpone exams and cancel a parent-teacher meeting. The case triggered national debate around school safety, investigative lapses, media scrutiny and the psychological pressures faced by children in highly competitive urban environments. According to the makers, the adaptation will draw from Dhankhar's years of reporting and investigation into the case. "What happened in this case is every parent's worst nightmare," said Dikssha Jyote Routray of Matchbox Shots, who is helming the project. "It is a tragedy that also reveals uncomfortable truths about the pressures shaping young children in contemporary urban India." For Dhankhar, the adaptation is a chance to bring wider attention to a story that continues to resonate beyond the courtroom. "This is not merely a crime story. It is the story of a family's unimaginable loss and their long struggle for justice," she said. The project also has the support of the victim's father, who said, "There has not been a single day when we have not remembered or missed him. Our fight has been painfully long, but we will continue until justice is delivered." HTC...