Dalit boy charged with stealing pigeon found dead in Haryana

Close on the heels of two Dalit children being burnt alive at Sunped village in Faridabad, a 15-year-old Dalit boy, who was charged with theft of a pigeon, was found dead under mysterious circumstances in Haryana’s Gohana town on Thursday.

According to the police, the teenager was found dead at his home in Gohana town in Sonepat district, though the boy’s family approached the police alleging that he died while in police custody.

Some members of the ‘Gadia lohar’ (ironsmiths) community had approached the Sonepat police on Wednesday charging the boy with the theft of a pigeon and demanded appropriate action against him, SP, Sonepat, Abhishek Garg said. However, the SP said the boy’s family has alleged that the teenager had been brought to the police station at Gohana by the ‘lohars’ and that he died while in police custody.

Meanwhile, the boy’s family clashed with the police in Gohana on Thursday and placed the body on the road demanding action against the “erring cops”. Heavy police force was deployed in the area to control the situation. “According to the preliminary investigations in the case, the boy was found dead at his home today. There was a mark around his neck. A post-mortem examination is underway and once its report comes, we can arrive at any conclusion how he died,” Garg said over phone.

The official said, “We have registered a case and will add appropriate Sections after we receive the post-mortem report. As far as his family’s allegations are concerned, we will take appropriate action if any such thing is found true during our investigations.”