A17-year-old boy has committed suicide, allegedly due to police harassment.
V Lalith Kumar, a student of Silicon City Educational Academy Pre-University College near Konanakunte, ended his life last Tuesday by hanging from the ceiling of his house in JP Nagar, Phase VII.
He took the extreme step around 4 pm. Earlier that day, he was allegedly beaten up by Talaghattapura cops at a playground near his house. Following the thrashing, a crime constable attached to Talaghattapura police station allegedly met Lalith at his house and threatened to arrest him. Lalith and his mother were at home when the cop came. His father Venkatesh, a plumber, was away at work.
Lalith’s family seems too scared to take on the police. One of his close relatives, who did not wish to be named, told Bangalore Mirror, “We are scared of the consequences if we accuse the police of driving Lalith to commit suicide. We will not get him back. So, why blame the cops and complicate our lives?”
Ramanagaram superintendent of police Ida Martin Marbaniang, under whose jurisdiction Talaghattapura police station comes, said, “In February, Lalith’s friend Sushma had committed suicide at her residence. Her parents had registered a case against him, accusing him of abetting her suicide. On Tuesday, a crime constable named Shravan Kumar from Talaghattapura police station visited Lalith’s house to inquire about the case. I will have to verify the incident and order an inquiry.”
Lalith’s family acknowledged that he was in a relationship with Sushma. They also claim to have seen text messages sent by Sushma to Lalith suggesting that they both elope because her family opposed their relationship.
A relative of Lalith said, “Even if Lalith has committed some crime, police have no right to threaten him or beat him. As he is a minor, they should have informed his family about the complaint against him. They abused their power against the boy.”
