Accused turns out to be a minor

Activists question police theory, hire lawyers for accused disabled youth

LUCKNOW: The physically challenged youth arrested on Thursday for the murder of a 10-yearold balloon seller at 1090 crossing recently, turned out to be a minor during preliminary medical examination on Friday.

The youth sells balloons on the same stretch near 1090 crossing and was also given the Rani Laxmi Bai Award for saving a girl who had jumped into the Gomti in 2016. He was popular among visitors at the 1090 crossing due to his helping nature and kind behaviour. His lawyer Shashank Asthana said doctors at Civil Hospital had determined the youth’s age at around 17 years and two months on the basis of which the court had referred the matter to the Juvenile Justice Board.

The youth has been sent to the juvenile home on Mohaan Road.

Earlier, the police had said he was an adult and produced him in court for further proceedings.

However, social activists questioned the police claims of arresting the physically challenged youth from Dilkusha crossing at around 5 pm on Thursday. Several people came forward to contest the cops’ claims, saying the youth had talked to them before approaching the cops on his own.

A social entrepreneur Priya Saxena, who has known the physically challenged youth for around five years, said the police had earlier produced him in court as an adult but were exposed during the medical examination.

She said she had hired two lawyers Shashank Asthana and Alok Saxena to provide legal assistance to the youth as she was not convinced with the police theory.

She said the disabled youth went to the Hazratganj police station himself after coming to know that cops were searching for him. She said he talked to her on phone and she suggested he should

approach the cops and tell them that he was not at all involved in the crime, she said.

Another social activist Suman Rawat too confirmed that the youth approached her on Thursday morning before visiting the Hazratganj police station. She said she had assured the youth that there was no need to worry if he was not involved in the crime and that he should put his point before cops. Rawat said she had known the youth for at least two years. Priya Saxena said she met the station house officer (SHO) of Hazratganj police station Anand Shahi after the youth’s arrest but he failed to present any corroborative evidence about the youth’s involvement in the crime.

Suman Rawat said the police had earlier released CCTV footage of the suspect entering and coming out of the rotary where the minor boy was found murdered but now they were not talking about any footage that proved the youth entered or came out of the rotary. She said the physically challenged youth could be easily identified by his gait.