Four teenage girls in Bihar’s Aurangabad district died after allegedly consuming poison following a scolding from their parents, police said on Monday. The incident has raised serious concerns about adolescent mental health, family pressure and the need for timely intervention.
Incident reported from Dalit settlement
The tragedy occurred on January 29 in a Dalit settlement under the jurisdiction of Haspura police station. According to police, five girls aged between 10 and 14 years allegedly consumed a poisonous substance together in a field. Four of them died, while one girl survived.
The surviving girl was hospitalised and is currently out of danger. She later informed her family and the police about the circumstances leading to the incident.
Scolding by parents cited as trigger
Aurangabad Superintendent of Police Ambrish Rahul said the preliminary account is based on the survivor’s statement.
“According to her, the girls decided to consume poison after being scolded by their family members for mingling with a group of boys,” he said.
Daudnagar SDPO Ashok Kumar Das added that the investigation is still at an early stage. “At present, we have only the survivor’s statement. There is no evidence so far of involvement of any other person,” he said.
Police informed after cremation
Family members of one of the deceased told reporters that the girls had gone out to play. Villagers later alerted them that the children had been found lying together in a nearby field.
Police said the four girls were cremated on the same day, January 29, two days before authorities formally received information about the incident, complicating the investigation.
Focus on adolescent mental health
Officials and child rights advocates have stressed the need for greater sensitivity in dealing with adolescents and for families to seek counselling support rather than resorting to harsh reprimands.
Police said further investigation is underway to establish the sequence of events and confirm the cause of death through available evidence.