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Chandigarh: 17-year-old boy stabbed to death after dispute at Sector 41 Ramlila, minor held
Preliminary probe suggests that a friend of the victim objected to the other group’s presence, questioning why boys from outside the locality had come there
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A 17-year-old boy was stabbed to death following an altercation between two groups at a Ramlila event in Sector 41 on Thursday night. Police have nabbed a 16-year-old boy for the crime while a hunt is on for his five to six accomplices – also believed to be minors.
According to the police, it all started on Wednesday night when the two groups had gathered to watch the Ramlila. Preliminary probe suggests that a friend of the victim objected to the other group’s presence, questioning why boys from outside the locality had come there.
The accused reportedly responded that they were visiting to watch their friend perform. The exchange led into a minor altercation but did not escalate due to a visible police presence at the venue.
The next day, however, the accused returned to the spot, seeking revenge. They spotted the victim walking towards Radhe Market in Sector 41 with another friend. The friend who had reportedly objected to the group’s presence the previous night was not with him.
The accused allegedly followed the two boys, assaulted them and stabbed the 17-year-old in the back with a sharp-edged weapon. According to the police, the weapon pierced his heart, killing him on the spot. His friend sustained superficial injuries to his leg.
Hearing the commotion, some shopkeepers rushed to the spot, but the assailants had fled by then. The shopkeepers alerted the police, who took both boys to Government Multi-Specialty Hospital in Sector 16, where the 17-year-old was declared dead. His body was later shifted to the mortuary.
A case under Sections 103 (murder), 191 (rioting) and 116 (causing grievous hurt) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita has been registered at the Sector 39 police station. The weapon used in the crime is yet to be recovered.
According to the police, both victims belong to low-income families. The deceased’s father works as a tailor, while his injured friend’s father repairs bicycles. Both were pursuing Class 12 through an open-schooling system.
The juvenile accused is also enrolled in an open-schooling programme but was irregular with his studies, according to an official familiar with the investigation. The official added that the boy has been sent to a children’s home.
Police suspect that the other accused, who are migrants, may have fled to their native villages. Efforts are on to trace them, police said.
