A seventh-grade student in East Midnapore has reportedly died by suicide after consuming poison. The reason: He was falsely accused of stealing a packet of chips.
Before taking his life, the minor left behind a suicide note. It read: "Maa I am not a thief. I did not steal. Uncle (shopkeeper) was not around as I waited. While returning I spotted a kurkure packet lying on the road and picked it up. I love Kurkure," said the note accessed by PTI.
Krishnendu further said, "These are my final words before leaving. Please excuse me for this act(consuming pesticide)".
13-year-old Krishnendu Das, who attended Bakulda High School, was accused of stealing from a shop owned by one Subhankar Dikshit, a civic volunteer associated with Bengal Police.
According to PTI, he had called out "uncle I will buy chips" repeatedly without any response and finally left the shop allegedly with one packet of chips, the officer said quoting his grief-stricken mother.
He was allegedly chased by Dikshit who came back to the shop soon afterwards, slapped and was asked to do sit-ups in full public view, the officer told PTI, quoting a complaint by the family.
The boy claimed he picked up the junk food packet lying in a heap before the shop and would have come to pay later. He even offered to pay, immediately apologising for lifting the packet without the consent of the shopowner but the shopowner accused him of lying.
What went down
It is reported that Subhankar had demanded a public apology from the 13-year-old. It is also alleged that Subhankar made Krishnendu do squats while holding his ears, followed by physical assault. Hearing about the incident from others, Krishnendu’s mother arrived at the scene and scolded her son.
A sulking Krishnendu then returned to his house with his mother, bolted the door of his room from inside and did not open the door.
After some time his mother along with neighbours broke open the door and found him frothing from the mouth with a half-empty pesticide bottle lying on his side, the officer said, adding that a note purportedly scribbled by him in Bengali was found lying on the side.
The boy was admitted to Tamralipta Medical College Hospital in critical condition for treatment. Family sources then confirmed that Krishnendu breathed his last at around 9am on Thursday.
Subhankar initially claimed he did not assault the child but after the incident became known he could not be traced.
The cops handed over the body to the family after a post-mortem. Although no formal complaint has been submitted, police have registered a case of unnatural death.
(With PTI inputs)