Boy drinks pesticide after chips theft accusation

A 12-year-old boy died by allegedly consuming pesticide after he was accused of theft and asked to do sit-ups by a shopkeeper for "stealing" a packet of chips at Panskura in Paschim Medinipur district, a police officer said Friday.

Krishendu Das, a class 7 student, allegedly lifted a packet of chips from a shop at Gosaiber bazar in the Panskura area on Thursday evening after he failed to find the shopkeeper Subhankar Dikshit. He had called out "uncle I will buy chips" repeatedly without any response and finally left the shop allegedly with one packet of chips, the officer said quoting his grief-stricken mother.

He was allegedly chased by Dikshit who came back to the shop soon afterwards, slapped and asked to do sit-ups in full public view, the officer said quoting a complaint by the family.

The officer said a probe is underway Das' mother was summoned to the spot and she also scolded him and slapped him while the boy claimed he picked up the junk food packet lying in a heap before the shop and would have come to pay later.

He even offered to pay immediately apologising for lifting the packet without the consent of the shopowner but the shopowner accused him of lying.

A sulking Krishnendu then returned to his house with his mother, bolted the door of his room from inside and did not open the door.

After some time his mother along with neighbours broke open the door and found him frothing from the mouth with a half-empty pesticide bottle lying on his side, the officer said, adding that a note purportedly scribbled by him in Bengali was found lying on the side.

"Maa I am not a thief. I did not steal. Uncle (shopkeeper) was not around as I waited. While returning I spotted a kurkure packet lying on the road and picked it up. I love Kurkure," said the note.

Krishnendu further said, "These are my final words before leaving. Please excuse me for this act(consuming pesticide)".

He was taken to Tamluk Hospital and admitted to ICU but died soon afterwards.

The shopowner, also a civic volunteer associated with Bengal Police to assist in traffic management, initially claimed he did not assault the child.

But after the incident became known he could not be traced as a crowd assembled before his closed shop.