Fight over cigarette puffs out teenager's life

A wordy duel that broke out over refusal of cigarette by an 18-year-old boy to his younger brother resulted in his death after the latter allegedly hit him on his head with a frying pan in outer Delhi's Mangolpuri area, police said today.
The incident occurred in P Block of Mongolpuri yesterday when the juvenile returned home after attending tuition class and found his elder brother smoking. He also tried to smoke the cigarette but was spurned by his brother, leading to a heated argument between them, police said.
In a fit of rage the 16-year-old accused picked up a frying pan and hit on the head of his elder brother and left home, a police officer said.

Parents of the boys, a factory worker father and housewife mother, were out of the house at the time of the incident. They called police when they returned home and found their elder son lying in a pool of blood, the officer added.
The injured teenager was taken to a nearby hospital where doctors declared him brought dead, police said.
In the meantime, the accused returned home to seek apology from his brother but received the news of death. Under emotional pressure he broke down and admitted to have hit his brother several times on the head with the frying pan in a fit of rage, they added.

He confessed before a counsellor of having threatened his elder brother of a complain against him for smoking at which the latter thrashed him, they added.
Police produced the accused before a juvenile justice board which sent him to a juvenile reforms home. The body of the deceased was handed over to his parents after post mortem examination today.