13-year-old Ayush Shukla, who was found dead in Noida’s Sector 54 days after he went missing; his mother has alleged foul play, while police have given a different account of the case.
A 13-year-old boy, Ayush Shukla, was found dead in a park in Noida’s Sector 54 days after he went missing after reportedly leaving home for a birthday party. While his mother has alleged that Muslim boys lured him away, stabbed him and dismembered his body, police have disputed key parts of the allegation and said the investigation is underway.
The police have detained minors in connection with the case and said the main juvenile suspect and Ayush belonged to the same community. The post-mortem report, according to police, did not record visible external injuries, while viscera samples have been preserved to establish the exact cause of death.
Ayush went missing after leaving for a birthday party
Ayush Shukla, a Class 8 student of Kendriya Vidyalaya in Sector 24, went missing after leaving home to attend a birthday party. The family has said he left on August 16, although some reports have mentioned August 17.
According to the family, Ayush did not return home, following which his mother, Yogmaya, approached the police. She has alleged that she visited the Sector 12/22 police outpost and Sector 24 and Sector 20 police stations while searching for her son.
The family has also alleged that there was a delay in registering their complaint. Police, however, said a case was registered after the family submitted a complaint and that the investigation was subsequently taken up.
Body found in Sector 54 park
On August 21, a decomposed body of a minor was found in a park in Sector 54. Police took the body for post-mortem as its identity was not immediately established.
The family later identified the body as that of Ayush. Reports said identification was made using items including a belt and a religious thread tied around his wrist.
What Ayush’s mother has alleged
Ayush’s mother, Yogmaya, has alleged that some Muslim boys, whom she identified as Asad, Asrad and others, took her son with them on the pretext of a birthday party.
She alleged that the boys took Ayush to their place, where he was stabbed and killed before his body was cut into pieces and disposed of. She further claimed that some parts of his body, including his hands and legs, were missing.
The family has demanded stringent action against those responsible. Yogmaya has also said that she would not perform her son’s last rites until the accused were killed in an encounter.
These allegations by the family have not been established by the investigation.
Police give a different account
Police have disputed key elements of the family’s version.
Additional DCP Manisha Singh said the main juvenile suspect and Ayush belonged to the same community. Police have also said that the initial investigation pointed towards a dispute between the boys rather than the communal motive alleged by the family.
The police have detained juvenile suspects in connection with the case, while efforts have been made to trace the other accused.
The post-mortem report, according to police, did not mention visible external injuries on Ayush’s body. His viscera has been preserved for further examination to determine the exact cause of death.
Investigation continues
The case therefore has two significantly different versions. Ayush’s mother has alleged that Muslim boys lured her son to a birthday party, murdered him and dismembered his body. Police have not corroborated those allegations and have said the principal juvenile suspect belongs to the same community as the victim.
Police are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding Ayush’s death, including the role of the detained juveniles and the exact cause of death.
