KOLKATA: Rebuked by his father who had repeatedly turned down his request for a new shirt for Durga Puja, a 12-year-old boy hanged himself in his home at Saheb Colony in Kanchrapara on Sunday.

Subrata Das had been asking for the Puja gift for the last few days. But his father Samir Das, who works at a local sweet shop, said he would first get new shirts for his two younger brothers and that Subrata must wait.

On Sunday, the Class VII student of Kanchrapara Saheb Colony High School locked himself up in his room while his parents were away and hanged himself. The body has been sent for post-mortem.

His neighbours and friends described Subrata as a shy, introvert boy who kept to himself. "He was extremely mild-mannered but very intense," said a friend.

One of his family members said he had been craving for a new shirt for some time. But his father couldn't afford to buy three shirts for him and his brothers all at once. Subrata's mother works as a domestic help.

On Sunday morning, Subrata again demanded a new shirt. Samir got irritated and gave him a scolding. He told his son that he will first buy new clothes for his younger brothers. "They are younger to you and will get new shirts first," he told Subrata.

Deeply hurt by the rebuke, Subrata retreated into his room. Later, when both his parents were out, he hanged himself with his mother's saree. A shocked Samir found him hanging from the ceiling and rushed him to a nearby hospital, where he was declared dead.

A pall of gloom descended on the locality after the news spread. Subrata's mother fainted repeatedly after the incident. Samir, too, was dumbstruck.

Subrata's friends and classmates were very upset and some of them did not even come out in the afternoon to play as usual.

"Subrata was a little reserved, but was good-natured. We can't believe that he took such a drastic step," said Kartik Sen, one of his friends.

His father was stunned at his son's drastic step and was left repenting the rebuke. "I would have bought new shirts for all of them. He had been after me for some time for the shirt, but I did not have the money to make the purchase right away. I had tried to tell him that there was still enough time before Puja and that all of them would get new shirts," said Samir.

Praveen Kumar Tripathi, additional superintendent of police, South 24-Parganas, said a case of unnatural death has been lodged. "But there was no foul play," he said.