Too young to die: Targeted killings of minors seems to be a disturbing trend in Delhi

Bullying, superstitions, drugs and rivalry are once again in the news as Delhi registered a number of murders in the month of September – and the trend continues into October 

In Delhi, every day brings with it a new set of disasters. Accidents, kilings, road rage, rape, robbery and murder are common in the city. Every year when data is released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), police officials are seen promising that they’ll make Delhi into a safe, liveable place for citizens of the capital. 

However, the promises have proven to be hollow and baseless.

October began with a 6-year-old being ‘sacrificed’ in one of the poshest localities of the city. A student of Class 10 was stabbed to death and his father injured after a long sequence of bullying over his stammering issue. Another young guy was chased and stabbed in the middle of the road while bystanders watched. 

Explaining the events, a senior police official told Patriot that these incidents happened in different corners of the city at different times. 

The most recent case is of human sacrifice. “On Sunday, in a construction site in Lodhi Colony, a 6-year-old child was killed. The accused was under the influence of drugs and admitted having a vision of a god asking them to sacrifice a child of that age”, stated the official.

This happened at a construction site while the kid’s family was busy in Puja celebrations. “The father said that he found a stream of blood oozing out of a room while he was searching for his child. When he entered the room, the accused were caught in the act of hiding the dead body”, told the police officer. 

By minors, of minors

The other case too is related to a minor. A 17-year-old student of Class 10 was stabbed to death by seven juveniles right in front of his school. “The apprehended juveniles include three of his classmates”, informed a police officer investigating this case. 

The investigating officer under the condition of anonymity told Patriot that the incident occurred as a result of continuous bullying. “The deceased student, identified as Himanshu, was a victim of bullying and as a result he was accompanied by his father on his way to the school and back home. On Thursday as well he was with his father when the usual group started a scuffle and attacked Himanshu with a knife and stabbed his father in the back as well”, narrated the police officer.  

Another man was stabbed in Sunder Nagri area of Delhi’s North-east district. “The victim, Manish, was stabbed more than 20 times by a group of people around 7 in the evening”, narrated an official of the Nand Nagri Police Station.

“All the people involved in this attack have been identified and the police will be taking the required action”, stated the police official.

He told Patriot that the area is highly sensitive and there were chances of this incident having a communal aftermath. “The situation as of now is under control and we are keeping an eye over the activities on social media as well. If anyone tried to paint this incident in a communal tone, strictest of all actions would be taken”, stated another official working on this case.

“It was a result of an old rivalry between the victim and the accused people, they lived in the same area”, the officer added.

The number of such cases is increasing while the police personnels are seen as helpless to prevent them. Increased security in multiple areas of Delhi, on the other hand, is being cited as a step to bring the situation under control. However, a common citizen in Delhi is living continuously in a dangerous environment.

Archana, a child rights activist, told Patriot that several cases involving minors, children and juveniles are being reported in Delhi. “This situation is very disturbing and I’ll insist the child rights organisations and other organisations working with children take this into consideration so that the involvement of children can be reduced to a larger degree”, she stated.