Boy murders friend over a year-old feud

NEW DELHI: A Class 10 student of a government school stabbed to death a Class 11 student of the same school to take revenge on him for hurling abuses at his mother during a fight over cricket nearly a year ago in southeast Delhi’s Okhla, police said on Saturday.

Both of them were in uniform when the incident took place on Friday, police said and added that the victim was stabbed at least thrice in his abdomen. The juvenile attacker has been apprehended, and legal action under the Juvenile Justice Act has been initiated, the police added.

Deputy commissioner of police (southeast) Esha Pandey said on Friday, the Okhla police station received information regarding the stabbing of a boy near a government school in Tehkhand. A police team reached there and learnt that the injured 17-year-old boy was taken to a nearby government hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. A case was registered and investigation was taken up.

During the local inquiry, the police learnt that the teenager was roaming outside the school when he was stabbed three times allegedly by a 16-year-old boy of the same school following an altercation, the DCP said.

“We have learnt that the 17-year-old boy abused the mother of his schoolmate. On Friday, the Class 10 student asked him to say sorry for his conduct. However, the teenager refused. Enraged, the Class 10 student took out knife out of his pocket and stabbed him after school,” the DCP said.

A police officer associated with the probe said nearly an year ago, both the teenagers picked up a fight while playing cricket in the neighbourhood. The 17-year-old boy allegedly abused the mother of the other boy when she tried to intervene in their fight. The woman also received a head injury after a a brick hit her. The family members of the 17-year-old boy told the police that the altercation began when the 16-year-old boy had their son with a cricket bat. They had also taken the injured woman to a hospital for treatment, the officer said.

“Prime facie, it appears that the woman’s son developed animosity against the Class 11 student and wanted him to apologise for abusing his mother. The family members of the dead teenager allege that on Friday after school, the 16-year-old boy called their son on his cell phone and asked him to meet outside the school, where he was stabbed during the altercation,” added the officer.

Police have seized the knife that was used in the crime.

The 17-year-old boy abused the mother of his schoolmate. On Friday, the Class 10 student asked him to say sorry but when the latter refused, he stabbed him to death.

ESHA PANDEY, DCP (southeast)