Chennai: A 17-year-old boy high on ganja set his mother, a temporary worker at the city airport, on fire when she reportedly refused to feed him and wash his clothes besides chiding him for his vagabond adventures and failure in not landing in a proper job like his elder brother.
The incident took place on Sunday afternoon when the teen came home looking for food when his mother was alone while his elder and younger siblings and their father, who works as a cook, were away.
The teen got infuriated and picked up a quarrel with his mother who was of the impression that her son was only threatening her by dousing her with kerosene. In a flash, the teen lit a match and set her on fire.
Ablaze, the woman ran helter-skelter in the house until the neighbours came to her rescue. They also pinned the juvenile down and sent her to the Kilpauk Medical College Hospital (KMCH). During the treatment, the woman, in her statement before a magistrate, recorded that her son was the only reason for her ending up in the burns ward at KMCH. Late into the night, the woman succumbed to her burns. The boy was handed over to the city police who referred him to the Juvenile Justice Board in Chengelpet where the boy was subsequently lodged.
The arrested teen is a school dropout while his younger brother is studying class XI and the elder one is a temporary worker in the airport. The incident, reported in Trisulam, had left the entire area appalled. The body of the deceased was handed over to the family to carry out the last rites.
