Class 12 student dies by suicide in UP's Baghpat, family alleges police harassment

Baghpat (UP), Oct 7 (PTI) A class 12 student allegedly died by suicide in Uttar Pradesh's Baghpat, with his family claiming harassment by police drove him to take the extreme step, officials said on Tuesday.

The incident took place in the Kirthal village under the Ramala police station area on Monday night. The deceased has been identified as Sunny (19), the police said.

According to officials, Sunny was found hanging inside his house late on Monday. His family members came to know about the incident on Tuesday morning, leading to outrage in the village.

The police said the preliminary investigation suggests it is a case of suicide. However, the deceased's family alleged that persistent pressure and harassment by the police pushed the teenager to commit suicide.

The family members claimed that on September 27, Sunny and his friends had an altercation with some youth from the nearby Loom village. Following the dispute, a complaint was lodged against them at the Ramala police station on October 4. Since then, police personnel had allegedly been conducting repeated searches at Sunny's residence to locate him and his brother Bobby.

After learning about the death, a police team reached the spot, but agitated family members refused to allow cops to recover the dead body and raised slogans against the police. A brief confrontation reportedly took place between villagers and the police during the protest.

Ramala Station House Officer (SHO) Jitendra Singh told PTI, "At present, it appears to be a case of suicide. The allegations made by the family will be investigated, and further action will be taken based on the findings." The body has been sent for post-mortem examination, the police said. PTI COR KIS TRN2 MNK MNK