BERHAMPUR: In a harrowing incident, a 12-year-old boy had to remain neck deep in a sand pit for hours as a punishment for refusing to lift sand from the river bed in a village under Gunupur police limits in Rayagada district.
Six boys, including three minors, have been held after a complaint was lodged with police on Wednesday. The shocking torture was reported from Meringi village under Gunupur police limits. A video of the boy buried in sand up to his neck on the banks of Sananadi also went viral.
The incident took place on January 25. While others were busy celebrating Saraswati Puja, the six boys went to lift sand from the banks of Sananadi. The victim, who hails from Khilapadar village under Padmapur block, was also near the river bank. He stays with his maternal grandparents in Meringi village.
Seeing him all by himself, the six asked him to help lift sand which he refused. Angry, the six put the boy in a sand pit. They kept making fun of the victim as he struggled to free himself. The six even recorded the incident on their mobile phones and threatened the minor not to get out till he agreed to their conditions. The frightened minor kept crying and after a couple of hours, the boys got him out of the sand.
Meanwhile, as the boy did not come home, his grandfather launched a frantic search. At around 11 pm, the boy reached home and narrated the ordeal.
The matter was placed before the village committee but could not be resolved. Ramesh Sabar, father of the minor, reached Gunupur police station on Wednesday and lodged a complaint against the six. Basing on the complaint, a case under section 183 of BNS was registered, said Gunupur inspector-in-charge KKBK Kanhar.
The six including three minors were taken into police custody. While the three majors were produced in a court on the day, the minor offenders were presented before a juvenile board.