Boy's death sparks row, two teens held for 'murder'

Amidst allegations and counter-allegations, police registered a case of murder on Thursday, a day after the death of a 15-year-old boy and detained two teenagers for it.

Police said the body of Rajat Menon, a class 9 student at Salwan Public School, bore no signs of any external injury.

However, after pressure from Rajat’s parents and relatives, the juveniles allegedly involved in the death “surrendered” before police.

A case of murder under section 302 IPC was registered at Mayur Vihar police station on Thursday.

“We have detained the two accused and they have confessed to their involvement in the boy’s death,” said a senior police officer.

The boy was brought dead to hospital from Mayur Vihar phase 3 market on Wednesday night. The accused, both brothers, had only slapped the boy following which he collapsed on the ground, police said.

However, parents and the advocate of the two juveniles denied that the two brothers had anything to do with the boy’s death.

“We have enough proof that the boy died due to natural reasons. We have a statement of the deceased’s physical education teacher also which we will produce in court,” said Atul Pandey, their lawyer.

The post-mortem report is expected to bring more clarity on the death. According to the parents’ version, Rajat was returning home from his tuition class along with three friends Digvijay, Aryan, and Ritik when the incident took place.

According to a neighbour, Lalit, they stopped before a pan kiosk run by the two boys, now accused of murder, and their father.

At the kiosk, Rajat had an argument with the brothers. They allegedly thrashed him after taking him to a nearby park. The other three friends fled from the spot but Rajat couldn’t.
Due to the beating, Rajat lost consciousness and fell on the ground.

The people who attacked him immediately took him to a local hospital, according to the parents' version. However, they were turned away from the hospital which said it did not have a ventilator.

After they were turned down by another hospital, the boys took Rajat to Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital where doctors declared him brought dead.

Rajat’s parents were informed and they rushed to the hospital. They questioned the three other boys who were accompanying him, and were told that Rajat had been thrashed. Local residents took out their anger on the pan seller’s stall and smashed it.

The accused’s mother, who was standing near the pan kiosk when it was demolished, claimed that her sons were innocent and were merely helping Rajat who had lost consciousness.

She claimed that her son tried to make him drink water in a bid to resuscitate him. But when he did not move, he called his friends and took him on his bike to the nearest hospital.

The accused’s side also argued that the boys wouldn’t have opened their kiosk next day if they were guilty.