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Boy stripped, urinated on at party, dies by suicide
A 17-year-old boy died by suicide after being assaulted by teens in UP. Four minors are detained; police face scrutiny for inaction.
A 17-year-old boy died allegedly by suicide after a group of teenagers purportedly assaulted him, stripped him, and urinated on him in Basti district of Uttar Pradesh, police said on Tuesday, adding that four accused have been detained so far.
The accused, all minors, allegedly recorded the act of assault and harassment which occurred during a birthday bash in Kaptanganj area on December 20. The boy died by suicide on Monday after the accused refused to delete the purported video of the assault despite his multiple requests, police said.
“A first information report (FIR) was lodged on Monday based on a complaint by the boy’s uncle and the body sent for post-mortem examination,” circle officer, Sadar, SB Tiwari said. “Four teenagers named in the FIR have been detained.”
The officer did not divulge the charges mentioned in the FIR, citing that the accused are minors. “Strict action will be taken against anyone found guilty,” Tiwari added.
HT could not access a copy of the FIR.
Basti superintendent of police (SP) Krishna Gopal Chaudhury said Kaptanganj SHO Deepak Kumar Dubey was suspended and departmental action initiated against him. Dubey had allegedly not acted against the accused despite the boy’s family lodging a complaint.
The victim hailed from Sant Kabir Nagar district and was staying at his uncle’s house in Basti.
In the complaint, the boy’s uncle alleged that the victim, a class 10 student, was invited to a birthday party on the night of December 20 by a villager. After he reached there, he was allegedly stripped, beaten, urinated on and humiliated. The entire act was captured on video.
A day after the incident, the boy narrated the ordeal to his mother. When his family approached the Kaptanganj police station to file a complaint on Sunday, they were ignored. The police failed to take action the next day as well. On Monday, unable to bear the trauma, the boy died by suicide around 1pm, Tiwari said.
Both the victim and the accused are from scheduled caste (SC) communities, the officer said, rejecting any caste angle in the crime.
Meanwhile, the family refused to hand over the boy’s body for the post-mortem examination and staged a protest at the SP office on Monday. Following assurances of stringent action, they allowed the body to be taken for autopsy.
The Basti SP said the SHO was suspended after taking note of the matter. “Initial inquiries revealed lapses in handling the case,” the SP said, adding a detailed probe is underway.
