The family members, relatives and neighbours of a 14-year-old boy, who allegedly died after he fell down in an open drain in Gorakhpur, staged a massive demonstration, blocking traffic movement for several hours on Sunday afternoon.

Soon after they received the body of the victim after the autopsy, the family members kept it on the road, claiming that the death was not a result of any accidental fall but a well-planned murder.

Accusing the police of negligence, the locals enforced a ‘chakka jam’ and demanded compensation to the family of the deceased and a fair investigation into the tragedy.

The police officers who reached the spot pleaded for several hours and only got success to convince the protesters to call off their agitation after they received the demands of the victim’s family and assured necessary action besides adequate compensation for them.

Sources said that after acceptance of the three-point demands, the family members went home with the dead body to perform the last rites.

According to Prahlad Sahni, a resident of Jungle Tulsiram Bichhiya Kumhar Tola under Shahpur police station of Gorakhpur, his 14-year-old son, Vineet Sahni, along with 4-5 boys of the locality went to PAC Colony across Godhoiya Nala to break jungle jalebi fruits on Saturday afternoon. He alleged that the boys of PAC Colony beat up his son, Vineet, and later pushed him into Godhoiya drain. He said Vineet did not know how to swim and so he drowned in deep water and died.

He said that after learning of the incident, they rushed and took Vineet out and shifted him to BRD Medical College hospital but the doctors pronounced him dead.

Anil Kumar, the elder brother of the deceased, alleged that Vineet Sahni was killed by his friends who later pushed him in the drain to make it a case of accidental death due to drowning. He said the local police also took the case as accidental death and sent the body for post-mortem.

After the police took no action, the family members and neighbours took the body after autopsy and kept it on the main crossing in Shahpur and staged a road blockade on Sunday afternoon, demanding action.

Later District Magistrate of Gorakhpur Krishna Karunesh and other senior officers reached the spot and after five hours of negotiation pacified the protesters.