A man has been arrested in Uttar Pradesh's Kasganj district for allegedly shooting a nine-year-old boy dead after he refused to bring water for mixing with alcohol.
The injured child was first taken to the district hospital in Kasganj and later, referred to Aligarh due to his critical condition. He succumbed to the injuries during treatment on Saturday, officials said.
The incident took place on Friday in Yakutganj village within the Sahawar police station limits during a naming ceremony on Saturday.
The victim was identified as Yashpal alias Yash, whose family was among the guests attending the naming ceremony.
According to the boy's uncle, Anuj, relatives and villagers had gathered for a naming function when Dhanesh Yadav, a relative of Yash's father Jasveer Gola, allegedly asked the child to fetch water. Yadav reportedly wamted the water to be mixed in his drink.
However, the boy refused to follow his demand. The accused, allegedly in an inebriated state, lost his temper and shot him in the stomach, police said.
While panic broke out at the ceremony following the incident, the accused fled the spot. He was late arrested near the Khitauli canal bridge, news agency PTI reported. Police have seized the firearm used in the crime from his possession.
The Station House Officer (SHO) reportedly told the news agency that a case was registered on a complaint from the boy's family. Additional Superintendent of Police Rajesh Kumar Bharti said the process to send the accused to jail is underway and that the matter is being investigated from all angles.
