AGRA A 17-year-old BA first year student was found dead by suicide at his home in Bilotia village of UP’s Firozabad on Sunday, a day after he was allegedly assaulted and subjected to casteist slurs at a local library. Police arrested three individuals in connection with the incident, which sparked outrage and heavy security deployment in the area, said officials.
According to the police, the extreme step followed a violent altercation on Saturday at the RM Library in Shikohabad town. The attackers allegedly accused the teenager of harassing a girl, leading to a severe beating.
“A case has been registered under relevant sections of the BNS and SC/ST Act against two named and four unidentified people, on the basis of the complaint lodged by the father of the deceased. The matter is being investigated in the light of a suicide note found from the spot. Three individuals have been arrested,” said DSP (Shikohabad circle) Amrish Kumar. He said the body was sent for a post-mortem examination.
Kumar said the police received information through Dial 112 that a Dalit student had committed suicide by hanging himself from the ceiling fan at his house.
In a formal complaint, the victim’s father alleged that the library’s owner, Atul Sikera, directed casteist remarks at his son and abused him. The complaint further stated that Sikera incited other students present—including an individual named Dhruv Yadav—to thrash the boy. He said the boy was badly injured in the incident and was shaken because of the insult, and committed suicide on Sunday.
Acting on the father’s complaint and a distress call made to Dial 112, police constituted special teams to apprehend the suspects. Atul Sikera and Dhruv Yadav, were arrested on Sunday while another accused, Ritik Yadav, was arrested later, added Kumar.
The accused were booked under sections 191(2) (rioting), 103(1) (murder), 352 (insult to provoke breach of peace), 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt) and 49 (abetment) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Section 3(2)(v) of the SC/ST Act, said the DSP.
Villagers expressed their anger over the incident by not allowing the police to take the body for post- mortem examination. Because of the caste dimension of the incident, the police deployed heavy force in the village.
