Scolded for fighting with siblings, 9-year-old commits suicide in Patiala

Vishnu, the eldest of the four siblings, had locked himself in a room after his mother scolded him for fighting with his siblings over toys.

Scolded for fighting with his younger siblings, a nine-year-old boy committed suicide by hanging himself from a curtain rod at his house in Patiala district on Friday.

Nine-year-old Vishnu Kumar

The deceased has been identified as Vishnu Kumar, whose family had shifted to Kakrala village in Samana from Bihar’s Bhagalpur in search of work two months ago.

Sadar station house officer (SHO) Harsandeep Singh Gill said the family was in shock and not in a position to give details about the incident.

“All they told us is that Vishnu locked himself in a room after his mother scolded him for fighting with his siblings over toys,” he said.

Vishnu was the eldest of the four siblings. His father, Sadanand, works in a local plastic pipe factory while the mother is a domestic help.

The neighbours told police that when Vishnu failed to open the door despite repeated pleas, they along with his parents broke open the door around 6pm.

They found Vishnu hanging from a curtain rod. He had used his mother’s ‘dupatta’ to strangulate himself and had climbed upon an overturned bucket to reach the rod.

The child was rushed to hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead. Police have initiated inquest proceedings.