Boy killed for refusing to pay vendor for cup of tea

HT Correspondent, Hindustan Times, New Delhi, September 26, 2011

An argument over a cup of tea cost a 16-year-old boy his life in northeast Delhi’s Seelampur on Sunday evening. The boy was beaten up badly and later strangled to death allegedly by a tea vendor. The family members of the deceased have claimed that the incident took place inside the premises of the Seelampur police station and in the presence of police personnel.

Sanjay Kumar Jain, deputy commissioner of police (northeast), however, refuted the allegations. “The allegations are baseless. Even the person who made the PCR call said that the incident took place on the main road near the bus stand. We have registered a case of murder and arrested the tea vendor.”

The victim, Manju, used to sell artificial jewellery outside the Seelampur police station. On the particular day, policemen at the station asked Manju to get three cups of tea from a shop nearby. The boy got an extra cup and later when he went to return it, the vendor, Aarif, refused to take it.

He asked Manju to pay for the extra cup from his own pocket. Manju refused and this made Aarif furious. Eyewitnesses told the police that Aarif started thrashing Manju and later also strangled him.

Manju collapsed on the road and was immediately rushed to Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital where the doctors declared him brought dead.

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