Result of strict parenting may be disastrous

Praveen Kumar

Upbringing of children is turning into a very delicate matter. The smallest quarrels or inconveniences may cause some to leave their homes, few even take the drastic step of committing suicide. Here is a case, where a 13-year-old boy has left home due to the fear of his elder brother. The boy was always warned to stay away from his friends and pressurised into focusing on studies by his elder brother.

The boy has been identified as R Dileep, a resident of Ganesha Temple Road in Kengeri in Bengaluru South taluk. The boy left home on Wednesday evening after returning from school. The boy’s father Raju is a driver and mother Shobha works as a housekeeping staff in a reputed university in the city. Darshan, 19, the elder brother of the victim, also works as a driver. The victim is said to have been terrified of Darshan as he would reportedly beat him up if his advice was ignored.

After he went missing, the family found out that the boy had borrowed money from his classmates.

“We have searched for him in Mysuru, Mandya, Kunigal, Ramanagar and other places. The search is still being carried on. While speaking to some of his classmates, we learnt that my son had borrowed money from a few of them. We are distressed and are praying that he returns home soon. We will not pester him to study, if he does not intend to. We asked him to focus on studies solely as his exams were fast approaching. My son is a very clever boy and is very independent for his age,” Shobha, the boy’s mother told NT.

The elder brother is said to be harsh with the boy.

“My son has not taken any money from home. We assume that after he left home on Wednesday, he must have spent time somewhere and got delayed. Fearing that my elder son would beat him, he has not come home. The thought of returning on the following day must have scared him. He was spotted near a temple in Bidadi where they offer food for devotees. Upon reaching the temple on Saturday, we were unable to find him,” the boy’s father Raju, told NT.

The jurisdictional police have sent the picture of the boy to other police stations to trace him.