A teenage boy was found dead in a fruit orchard in Uttar Pradesh on Friday evening, just hours after a family accused him of sexually harassing a schoolgirl, police said on Saturday (23 August).
According to Indian media reports, the deceased was a Class 12 student. His body was recovered from a tree in a fruit orchard in the village after local residents spotted him and alerted the authorities.
Police said the incident began on Friday morning when members of the schoolgirl’s family went to the teenager’s home. They allegedly accused him of attacking the girl and behaving inappropriately towards her. The family subsequently contacted India’s emergency response service by dialling 112 and reported the matter.
Later in the day, villagers discovered the teenager’s body in the orchard. Police reached the scene after receiving the information, followed by members of the teenager’s family and other local residents. A forensic team was also called to the site and collected material evidence as part of the investigation.
The circumstances surrounding the teenager’s death have led to allegations from both sides. While the schoolgirl’s family had earlier accused him of sexual harassment, the teenager’s father has now alleged that members of the girl’s family were responsible for his son’s death.
The father has filed a police complaint naming seven people as accused. He alleged that members of the schoolgirl’s family had visited their home in the morning, made enquiries about his son and subsequently killed him. He has demanded strict punishment for those he believes were involved.
Local police officer Umed Singh said the schoolgirl’s family had raised the sexual harassment allegation against the teenager on Friday morning. The discovery of his body followed later that same day.
Police have sent the teenager’s body for a post-mortem examination. Investigators are examining the circumstances leading up to his death and are considering all possible angles of the case.
The post-mortem report and evidence gathered by the forensic team are expected to help investigators establish how the teenager died. Police have not yet reached a final conclusion about the allegations or the circumstances of the death.
The case has therefore developed into a two-sided investigation: the original allegation of sexual harassment against the teenager and the subsequent complaint by his father alleging that his son was killed. Authorities are expected to establish the sequence of events through witness statements, forensic evidence and the post-mortem findings.
