A 15-year-old boy died by suicide after allegedly being scolded by his mother for roaming outside during the intense afternoon heat in Odisha’s Keonjhar district, sources said on Monday. The heartbreaking episode took place in Jenadar village under Deuladiha panchayat in the Telkoi police station area.

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The deceased boy was identified as the son of a resident of Jenadar village.

According to local sources, the boy had gone out yesterday with his friends during daytime and returned home in the evening. His mother became angry over his decision to wander outside in the scorching heat and reprimanded him.

Family members said the teenager left the house again after being scolded. When he did not return for a long time, his mother began searching for him. A few moments later, she reportedly found him hanging from a rope tied to a hook installed for a ceiling fan in an under-construction room on the terrace of the house.

The family members immediately rescued the boy and rushed him to the Telkoi Community Health Centre. However, doctors declared him ‘dead’ on arrival.

The incident has left the entire village in shock and grief. Residents described him as a quiet boy who had recently passed his matriculation examination and was preparing for the next stage of his studies.

The tragic death has once again highlighted growing concerns over emotional vulnerability and mental stress among teenagers. Locals and social observers stressed the need for better communication between parents and children, emotional support for adolescents, and timely counselling to help young minds deal with anger, fear and emotional pressure.

“I wasn’t at home when the incident occurred. His mother perhaps said something to him. After eating, he went to the rooftop to sleep. His mother saw him later and found that he had died. His mother was concerned because he was roaming around in the hot sun. She had told him, ‘Why are you always roaming around in this heat? Stay home, eat, and rest’. She may have said something else to him,” the minor’s father said.

“His mother just told him that much; I don’t know anything more. And after that, this kind of incident happened. He would be about 15 years old; he was (recently) studying in 10th grade. He used to play around. I haven’t seen anything. I came at night after hearing the news,” the boy’s father added.