Amroha (UP), Mar 8 (IANS): In an attempt to increase his height so that he could be eligible to join the Army, a 16-year-old boy met a fatal end when he fell down while hanging from a tree.

The boy would often hang from a tree using a rope as part of rigorous exercise but he slipped and fell and died later in hospital due to head injuries.

The incident took place in Rehariya village of Amroha district.

Vikas Kumar was a class 12 student, and his height was about 4.5 ft.

His father, Ranveer Singh, a farmer, said the boy's classmates used to tease him often as he was short and that he would never make it to the armed forces.

"My son dreamt of joining the Army. He was not that tall. So, someone in our village recently advised him to hang loosely from a tree with a rope for a considerable period to gain height. Vikas also used to regularly exercise in the morning and sprint at times for physical fitness," said Ranveer Singh.

A villager, who was near the site when the incident took place, said, "The boy was doing some exercise and was hanging from a tree with the help of a loosely tied rope. We were working nearby in our farms when we suddenly saw him lying on the ground with head injuries. We immediately informed his father, who took him to a local hospital where doctors declared him brought dead."

He was the only son among four siblings.

Rehar SHO Arvind Kumar Tyagi, said, "We were not informed about the incident. We came to know about it much later from locals. No complaint has been filed yet."