PMO seeks probe report on Bhagalpur boy's 'death wish'

BHAGALPUR: The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has asked the Bhagalpur administration to inquire into the allegations made in a letter written by a 15-year-old boy from Kahalgaon in April seeking permission from the President of India to end his life. The boy has accused his mother of ill-treatment and blamed strained relation between his parents for his “death wish”.

He has also sent a copy of the letter to the Prime Minister Office (PMO) and other officials, including National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR). The NCPCR has also sought a report from the district administration in this regard.

According to sources, the Class IX student of a Jasidih school in Jharkhand belongs to Mahesha Munda village in Bhagalpur district. The boy, in his 5-page letter, has also levelled serious allegations against his mother Sujata Devi (who is employed in a public sector bank) and praised his father Manoj Kumar Mitra (who works in the Gramin Vikas Department at Deoghar). The boy lives with his father at Deoghar. He had his early schooling in Kahalgaon.

Sources said the boy lived with his grandfather, who was employed with NTPC. After the retirement of his grandfather, the boy shifted to Deoghar. Sources said the relationship between his father and mother started souring after her selection as a probationary officer in 2011.

Kahalgaon police officials said the boy has vividly described in his letter about the marital discord between his parents and how his mother quarrels with his father, who is suffering from cancer. He has accused his mother of spoiling his childhood and affecting his studies. He has also alleged that his father was being intimidated by his mother and her associates.

Kahalgaon SDPO Manoj Kumar Sudhanshu told this newspaper that the matter came to light after the PMO and NCPCR wrote letters recently to the Bhagalpur DM to make investigation into the matter and submit a report to them. The SDPO said the boy and his father narrated their woes. “The boy had come to know about 'euthanasia' and related topic from somewhere,” said the SDPO.

Bhagalpur SSP Ashish Bharti said Kahalgaon SDPO has been directed to make a detailed report in the wake of seriousness of the letter written by the teenage boy.