A 13-year-old boy was found dead in a newly constructed building behind a variety store in Odisha’s Balasore district, triggering tension and vandalism after villagers accused the shopkeeper of assaulting him over an alleged theft, police said on Sunday.
The deceased, a Class VII student, was the son of a resident of Tentulia village under Berhampur police limits in Nilagiri subdivision.
According to sources, the boy visited a variety store owned by Manas Behera near the local panchayat office on Friday but failed to return home. His body was found around 10 am on Saturday in a newly constructed building behind the shop.
Villagers alleged that the shopkeeper had assaulted the boy after accusing him of eating a packet of biscuits without paying. Suspecting that the assault had led to his death, an angry mob vandalised the shop.
The boy was reportedly being raised by his grandparents, as his mother had left the family and his father worked as a migrant labourer outside Odisha.
Police arrested the shopkeeper and detained his father. Two police platoons were deployed in the village to prevent further trouble. Police are also examining CCTV footage recovered from the shop.
Villagers initially refused to allow the body to be taken for post-mortem for nearly 15 hours, demanding stringent action against those responsible. Tension resurfaced after the body was brought back to the village on Sunday, with residents demanding compensation and administrative intervention before allowing the last rites. The family has received Rs 20,000 from the Red Cross fund.
“My son had gone to the shop to buy puffed rice. The shopkeeper allegedly took him to a room behind the shop, locked him inside and brutally assaulted him. My son was a Class VII student. I am a poor man and demand strict action and appropriate punishment for those responsible,” the boy’s father said.
Nilagiri Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Nirmala Gochhayat said preliminary investigation suggested that the boy had allegedly tried to take a Rs 500 note from the shop’s cash box. The shopkeeper allegedly assaulted and locked him in a room. After discovering his death, the shopkeeper and his father allegedly disposed of the body together, she said.
“The shopkeeper has admitted to assaulting the child. Both father and son have been arrested,” the SDPO added.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: deccanchronicle.com
