Child held for boy's murder in Mandsaur

A 12-year-old girl pushed a four-year-old boy into a water tank in Madhya Pradesh, killing him after his mother scolded her over a chocolate. The incident occurred on October 26, 2026, in Shamgarh town within Mandsaur district. The girl took the boy to her house roof, pushed him in, and placed a stone slab over the tank. Mandsaur Superintendent of Police Vinod Meena stated that the victim's body stayed in the tank for nearly three hours before the girl's father found it. The two families lived close by as tenants in a house owned by the girl's uncle. Police questioned neighbourhood children during the search for the missing boy, leading the girl to admit to the crime. She held onto her anger for seven to eight days after the mother scolded her. A formal police case was filed on October 28 under the Juvenile Justice Act once the post-mortem report confirmed ante-mortem drowning. Authorities produced the girl before a court, and she was sent to a government juvenile home.

Context

Crimes involving minors as suspects are handled through special juvenile justice laws in India that focus on reform rather than adult prison systems. Police often rely on local inquiries and statements from peers when young children go missing in residential areas.