Lucknow/Basti: A 19-year-old girl was allegedly set on fire by some persons after pouring kerosene on her following a land dispute with her father in Kaptanganj, police said on Sunday.
According to reports, former village pradhan Munna Shukla and his men had been pressurising the victim’s father to stop the construction work of a boundary wall of their house.
The girl’s father refused and Munna Shukla and his men arrived on Saturday at the construction site and started to beat him.
The girl intervened to rescue her father after which the men doused her with kerosene and set her on fire and fled. The girl was rescued by her mother, who admitted her to the district hospital. The victim has suffered almost 90 per cent burn injuries and is blaming the police for not taking action against the accused.
“It is better that I should be allowed to end my life because I cannot suffer this pain and also the fact that those responsible for my condition will not face punishment,” she told a news channel in the hospital.
On the complaint of the victim’s father an FIR was registered against eight persons under section 326 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt) of the IPC.
Police said that three accused Umesh Chandra Shukla, Suresh and Virendra have been arrested.
The dispute was related to possession of land, deputy superintendent of police Kalwari Singh said, adding that remaining accused would be arrested within 24 hours.
