DEHRADUN: An argument between two children during play allegedly took a fatal turn in Uttarakhand’s Udham Singh Nagar district on Tuesday, with a nine-year-old boy accused of stabbing an 11-year-old in the chest.
The incident occurred in the Chhipiyan locality of Jaspur, where the two children, who lived in the same neighbourhood, were reportedly playing together. Police said an altercation broke out between them over an unspecified issue.
During the quarrel, the younger child allegedly picked up a knife and stabbed the Class VII student in the chest. The critically injured boy was rushed to hospital by his family, but doctors declared him dead despite efforts to save him.
The victim was the youngest child in his family. His father runs a hardware shop near their home. News of the death left the family and the local community in shock.
A relative of the deceased alleged that the nine-year-old had been involved in quarrels earlier and had displayed aggressive behaviour. However, police have not independently confirmed the claims about his previous conduct.
Investigators reportedly learnt that the younger boy’s father died of a serious illness last year. The family is said to be facing financial hardship, and the child was not attending school. Authorities were trying to trace him after the incident, while his mother was called to the police station for questioning.
Police are also examining CCTV footage connected to the case. One purported video is said to show the altercation and the stabbing, while another reportedly shows the injured boy reaching a shop, where efforts were made to clean his wound before he collapsed. The contents and sequence of the footage are subject to police verification.
Local MLA Adesh Chauhan visited the post-mortem facility in Kashipur and described the incident as “deeply distressing and unfortunate”. He offered condolences to the bereaved family. Additional police personnel were deployed in Chhipiyan as a precaution amid tension in the area.
Jaspur Station House Officer Rajesh Pandey said police had received a written complaint. “Further legal action will be taken in accordance with the prescribed procedure,” he said, adding that investigators were gathering evidence and establishing the circumstances leading to the incident.
As the alleged assailant is nine years old, the matter will be handled under laws and procedures governing children. The identities of children involved in such cases require legal and ethical protection.
Speaking to TNIE about the incident, Dehradun-based clinical psychologist Dr Mukul Sharma said a violent act by a nine-year-old cannot be attributed to a single factor.
“Such behaviour in children can stem from multiple factors — lack of age-appropriate understanding, emotional outbursts, exposure to violence, family or social stress, underlying mental distress and, most importantly, easy access to objects like knives or other weapons,” Dr Sharma said.
According to advocate Virendra Khurana, “Though the act falls under Section 101 (murder) of the BNS, the nine-year-old accused is exempt from criminal prosecution under Section 21 of the BNS and will be dealt with as a Child in Conflict with Law under the Juvenile Justice Act by the Juvenile Justice Board.”
