A 10-year-old boy died in a village while allegedly re-enacting the hanging of freedom fighter Bhagat Singh for a play which was to be staged on Independence Day, police said.

The family cremated the body soon after the incident on July 29 without informing the police, an officer said. Shivam, son of Bhure Singh and a resident of Babat village under Kunwargaon Police Station of the district, was rehearsing for the play along with other children. While re-enacting the scene of Bhagat Singh's execution, Shivam tied a noose around his neck, however, the stool on which he was standing slipped, causing him to hang, locals said.