Four adolescent girls were found dead in a Dalit settlement in Bihar’s Aurangabad district after consuming a poisonous substance, in an incident that police are investigating as a suspected case of suicide following reprimands from their families over social interactions, officials said.The deaths occurred in the Haspura police station area, where five girls aged between 10 and 14 allegedly ingested poison on January 29. One girl survived and is undergoing treatment. A senior police officer said preliminary findings indicate the group may have acted together after being scolded by their parents for mingling with boys in the locality.
According to police accounts, villagers noticed the girls falling ill and alerted families and local authorities. They were rushed to nearby health facilities, but four were declared dead during treatment. The survivor’s condition has stabilised, and her statement is expected to play a key role in establishing the sequence of events.
Police have registered an unnatural death case and sent the bodies for post-mortem examination. Forensic teams have collected samples from the site and seized containers suspected to have held the toxic substance. Investigators are awaiting laboratory reports to confirm the exact poison consumed and the manner in which it was accessed by the minors.
Senior officers said there was no immediate indication of foul play or external coercion, though all possibilities remain open at this stage. “The circumstances point towards a collective decision following a family dispute, but the investigation will be guided strictly by evidence,” an official involved in the probe said. Statements from parents, neighbours, school authorities and local health workers are being recorded to reconstruct the girls’ movements and interactions in the days leading up to the incident.
The case has cast a harsh light on the social pressures faced by adolescents in conservative rural settings, particularly within marginalised communities. Local residents described the girls as school-going children who were often seen together. Community elders acknowledged that disputes over friendships and perceived breaches of social norms can escalate quickly, especially when combined with limited access to counselling or child protection mechanisms.
Child rights advocates say the episode underscores persistent gaps in mental health awareness and adolescent support services in many districts. Specialists note that children in the 10–14 age group are especially vulnerable to impulsive decisions when confronted with fear of punishment or social stigma. They stress the need for family-based interventions, school counselling programmes and community outreach to address emotional distress before it turns fatal.
District officials said they have asked education and social welfare departments to assess whether warning signs were missed at the school or community level. Teachers from the local school have been questioned about attendance patterns and behavioural changes among the girls. Authorities are also examining whether hazardous substances were stored unsafely in homes or nearby agricultural fields, a factor that has contributed to poisoning incidents in other rural areas.