Boy beaten to death for plucking flower

Boy beaten to death for plucking flower
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE

LUCKNOW, AUGUST 4: A 12-year-old Dalit boy paid with his life on Wednesday for plucking a flower in Bareilly district. His fatal mistake was that he was in the garden of the chairman of the local panchayat in Fatehganj village.

The infuriated chairman, Shabbir Ahmed, thrashed the 12-year-old boy, Raj Kumar, so severely that he died of the injuries.

This led to massive protests in the village. Locals rallied behind the parents and demanded immediate action against the culprit. The police hesitated because of the chairman's clout. They claimed Ahmed had taken the boy to the hospital himself where he was declared brought dead. ``He then brought the body of the boy back to village and handed it over to his parents,'' said a spokesman for the Bareilly SSP, Bhuwesh Kumar Singh, who was in Fatehganj.

This enraged the locals who squatted on the Bareilly-Lucknow highway with the body and demanded adequate compensation and also action against the guilty. The dharna on the highway continued for a few hours resulting in a jam.

The villagers were pacified only after senior district officialsarrived on the scene and assured speedy action. A case has been registeredagainst the chairman though the demand for compensation is yet to beaccepted. An FIR under sections 304/147/504/506/327 of the IPC had been lodged at the Fatehganj police station against the chairman.

Even after 48 hours of the incident there has been no action and the villagers have again threatened to block the highway. The SSP and other officials have gone to the village.