Unidentified youth set fire to 13-yr-old girl in Rajam

Srikakulam: In a horrific incident, a 13-year-old girl, who suffered burn injuries after some unidentified miscreants set fire to her on Tuesday, succumbed on Wednesday while she was undergoing treatment at Rajam in Srikakulam district.

The victim has been identified as K Bhubaneswari, a Class VII student of a private school at Rajam. Her parents alleged that three youngsters, who had been stalking the girl for past few weeks, had committed the crime.

In her dying declaration before the Junior Civil Judge Swathi, the girl mentioned that two youngsters poured petrol on her while she was attending a nature’s call near her house and set fire on her.

Deputy Superintendent of Police, R Prasad said that the girl had gone to school on Tuesday and returned home in the evening. While the girl was attending nature’s call, two youngsters set her afire and fled the spot.

The locals admitted the girl, who suffered over 80 per percent burn injuries, in the hospital, police added.

Alleging that the principal of the school was responsible for the death, parents and relatives of the victim staged a protest demanding action against the principal, who, they charged, had failed to initiate action against the three students of the school, who were harassing the girl.

The police have registered a case and visited the school of the victim to ascertain the reasons behind the attack. The police interrogated the watchman of the school, friends and classmates of the girl for getting clues.

Sources said that the girl befriended a Class VIII student of the same school. However, some students of the school, who developed a grudge against her, might have eliminated her out of jealousy.