Death of two children sparks protest in Deoband village

The bodies of an 11-year-old boy and his 7-year-old cousin were found along the roadside in Deoband’s Bhayla village in Saharanpur district on Diwali night.

Both had gone to the temple on Thursday night, but they didn’t return home. Villagers, fearing that the children were victims of occult rituals, blocked the Deoband-Badgaon road, placing the bodies on the road to demand swift arrest.

After a search by family and villagers, their bodies were found on the village outskirts. The boy’s body showed fractures on his arms and legs, and he had head injuries. The seven-year-old’s body, found in a roadside ditch a few metres away, also had head injuries.

Saharanpur SP (Rural) Sagar Jain stated that preliminary evidence points to a road accident, with skid marks and car parts found at the scene. He added that CCTV footage and forensic evidence were being examined to determine the cause of death.