Palakkad ,21 May (H.S.):

A tragic incident was reported from Kerala’s Palakkad district on Thursday after a 13-year-old boy allegedly died by suicide at his residence following an argument with his mother over a television remote.

The deceased was identified as Prathosh, a resident of Muthukurissi in Thachampara and a Class 8 student at a school in the area.

According to police officials, the incident took place around 11.30 a.m. Preliminary investigations suggest that Prathosh had an argument with his mother during the morning over routine household matters. Police said the boy had reportedly refused to eat breakfast, following which his mother withheld the television remote and asked him to finish his meal first.

The situation allegedly upset the child, who then went upstairs to his bedroom. Around 15 minutes later, his mother went to check on him and found him hanging from an iron hook fixed to the ceiling of the room. Police said a rope used in the incident appeared to have already been attached there, possibly having been used earlier for a cradle.

Family members immediately rushed the boy to a nearby private hospital. However, doctors declared him brought dead on arrival.

At the time of the incident, only Prathosh, his mother and his younger sibling were present at home. His father, Pramod, is currently employed in the United Arab Emirates.

The body was shifted to the Government District Hospital in Palakkad, where postmortem procedures were completed. The body is expected to be released to the family for final rites.

Kalladikode police have registered a case under Section 174 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), dealing with unnatural deaths, and further investigation is underway.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman