Friendship or a walk of death: The increasing trend of untimely departure of youth

"When the friend himself becomes Yamraj, then whom should the parents trust?

- 

These days a frightening trend seems to be developing in Haryana. Every week, from somewhere or the other, news comes that some youth went for a walk with his friends and returned dead.

These incidents are not just newspaper headlines, but a gruesome picture of the flaws of our social fabric and system. 'Friendship' is now becoming synonymous with 'accident'.

Events that shock

Many such incidents have come to light in Haryana in the last few weeks:

Two youths drowned in a lake in Hisar, where they had gone for a picnic with their friends. The family members allege that their friends kept making videos and did not help them.

In Sonipat, a boy was strangled to death by his friends and then his body was thrown into a canal.

The body of a student was found in a forest in Rewari, who was last seen with his friends.

These incidents have several similarities: (1) The youths were with trusted friends,

(2) the family had no information as to where he actually went,

(3) The role of friends after the death remained suspicious.

The crime behind friendship

It is believed that friendship is the strongest relationship, thicker than blood. But this belief is crumbling in Haryana. Now cases of jealousy, competition, deceit and even murder are coming to light in the name of friendship. Many times these friends involve each other in dangerous activities like drugs, gambling, bike racing.