A 16-year-old girl, who was set on fire by a 28-year-old man in Andhra Pradesh’s Kadapa district, succumbed to injuries on Sunday, October 20. The victim, a student in Intermediate first year (Class 11), died while undergoing treatment at Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Kadapa The girl stated in her dying declaration that the accused Vignesh set her on fire for refusing to marry him.
The incident occurred on October 19 near Badvel town.
According to the police, the accused recently married another woman but persistently kept in touch with the accused. On October 19, he called her and asked to meet her. He told her that if she did not meet him, he would end his life. The victim agreed to meet and boarded an autorickshaw from her college. They went to a place near Century Plywood factory, about 10 km from Badvel.
It was not known what transpired between the two but after some time the accused poured petrol on her and set her afire. Hearing her cries, farmers working in the nearby fields rushed to her rescue and doused the fire while the accused fled from there. The locals informed the police, who admitted the victim to a hospital in Badvel. Later, she was shifted to Kadapa and was admitted to Rajiv Gandhi RIMS.
The victim suffered 80 per cent burn injuries and succumbed on Sunday morning. The district judge recorded her statement at RIMS. Police officials said the accused was arrested on Saturday night.
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has expressed shock over the girl's death. He directed officials to set up fast fast-track court for expeditious trial of the case. He also asked officials to make sure that the culprit gets the death penalty for the heinous crime.