13-year-old boy dies as suicide prank on blind mother turned tragic

A 13-year-old boy’s dangerous “prank” took a tragic turn when he accidentally hung himself while pretending to commit suicide, in front of his blind mother who despite trying couldn’t save him. Sangita, a 50-year-old woman who has been blind since birth, was devastated by her son’s death. She lamented the fact that her blindness prevented her from saving her child. The heartbreaking incident occurred at their home in Orai town on Sunday. Jas, a fifth-grade student, had been playing with his younger siblings - Yash (9), Mehak (7), and Astha (5) - in their home in Kanshiram Colony, Orai. While Sangita’s husband, Khem Chandra (54), was away at work, Jas attempted a dangerous prank that went terribly wrong. The stool he was standing on slipped, leading to a fatal outcome. Yash, Mehak, and Astha initially thought Jas was still playing until they saw blood coming from his mouth and nose, and his lifeless body hanging from a rope tied to a window bar. The children screamed in panic, waking up Sangita from her nap. She rushed to help her son, but her blindness made it impossible for her to act quickly. She desperately searched for a knife or a sickle to cut the noose but couldn’t find one. By the time Sangita managed to alert her neighbors, precious minutes had passed. They arrived, untied the knot, and rushed Jas to a nearby hospital, but it was too late. The doctors pronounced him dead upon arrival. Khem Chandra, Jas’s father, was left in shock, unable to comprehend the tragic sequence of events. He expressed regret that he had no idea Jas would play such a dangerous game. According to Mohammad Arif, the officer in charge of the local Orai police outpost, Jas was a responsible elder sibling who helped with household chores in his mother’s absence. “When her husband was at work, Jas used to take care of most of the household tasks after returning from school because his mother could not see,” explained the officer. Initially, the family hesitated to allow a post-mortem examination but eventually agreed after being persuaded by authorities.