Four teenage girls died after allegedly consuming a poisonous substance in a field in Bihar’s Aurangabad district, police confirmed on Monday. The incident occurred on January 29 in a Dalit settlement under the jurisdiction of Haspura police station, though information reached the police two days later.
According to police officials, five girls aged between 10 and 14 years had gone together to a nearby field where they consumed poison. Four of them died, while the fifth girl survived and later informed her family about the incident. The surviving girl was immediately taken to hospital and is now stated to be out of danger.
Family members of one of the deceased girls told reporters that the children had left home saying they were going out to play. Several hours later, villagers informed the families that the girls had been found lying unconscious in a field nearby. By the time help arrived, four of the girls had already succumbed.
The bodies were cremated on the same day, January 29. Police officials said they received formal information about the incident only two days later, complicating immediate forensic and investigative procedures.
Aurangabad Superintendent of Police Ambrish Rahul said preliminary findings are based on the statement of the surviving girl.
“According to her statement, the girls decided to consume a poisonous substance after they were scolded by their family members for mingling with a group of boys,” the SP said.
Daudnagar Sub-Divisional Police Officer Ashok Kumar Das said the investigation is ongoing and no external involvement has been established so far.
“At this stage, we only have the statement of the surviving girl. We have not been able to ascertain the involvement of any other person in the case,” he said.
The incident has triggered quiet unease in the local area, particularly due to the young age of the victims and the social pressures faced by adolescent girls in conservative rural settings. Activists point out that fear of social reprimand, lack of counselling access, and stigma around interaction between boys and girls continue to have devastating consequences.
Officials have not yet confirmed the exact substance consumed, and police say further inquiry is underway to reconstruct events and assess whether any lapses occurred in reporting or response.
