Class 10 boy jumps to death after liquor party at Bengaluru pub; owner, staff booked

• Bengaluru pub faces charges for serving alcohol to minors after teen's suicide
• Police seek cancellation of the pub's liquor licence following the incident
• Pub staff booked under Juvenile Justice and Karnataka Excise Acts

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Bengaluru police have filed criminal charges against a city pub, its owners and staff for allegedly serving alcohol to minors, following the suicide of a 15-year-old boy last week. The tragic incident has ignited a stern response from authorities, who are now seeking the cancellation of the establishment’s liquor licence.

The Class 10 student died on the evening of January 31 after falling from the seventh floor of his apartment building in Banashankari 5th Stage, police confirmed. According to the First Information Report (FIR) filed by the boy’s father, the teenager had attended his school farewell party earlier that day. Afterwards, a group of seven to eight classmates proceeded to the Legacy Brewing Company pub in Aditya Layout, Rajarajeshwarinagar.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Yatish N stated that police, upon examining the case from multiple angles, established that the group of minors had consumed alcohol and attempted to smoke at the premises. Medical examination later confirmed the deceased boy was under the influence of alcohol.

Investigations revealed that after leaving the pub, the intoxicated teenager expressed apprehension about returning home, reportedly fearing punishment from his parents for drinking. His friends eventually persuaded him and one accompanied him to his apartment block on a two-wheeler. The friend reportedly escorted him in the lift to the seventh-floor corridor before leaving.

Security guards at the complex told police they heard a loud noise around 9:45 pm and discovered the boy lying in a pool of blood. They immediately alerted his parents, who rushed him to a nearby hospital where he was declared dead on arrival. No suicide note was recovered.

It was statements from the boy’s friends to his grieving parents, revealing the visit to the pub, that triggered the police action against the establishment. According to reports, Deputy Commissioner Yatish confirmed that a police team visited the pub and verified the consumption of alcohol by the minors.

Consequently, the Rajarajeshwarinagar police registered a case against the pub's owners and staff under relevant sections of the Juvenile Justice Act and the Karnataka Excise Act for permitting minors to consume alcohol. A separate case of unnatural death has also been registered based on the father’s complaint.

A senior police officer emphasised that the pub staff should have exercised due diligence and refused service, sending the boys away instead. The officer added that police have written to the excise department formally requesting the cancellation of the pub’s operating licence.

In explaining the decisive action, police sources noted a concerning pattern linking minors who illegally consume alcohol or banned substances to incidents of road rage, assault and eve-teasing. Senior officers, keeping this broader context in view, directed that a strong precedent be set with this case.