Hyderabad: In a shocking incident, a mother set her 10-year-old daughter ablaze in Shadnagar on Friday night. The provocation was that the child, Dubba Radhika, spilled flour on the ground after her mother told her to fetch it from a shop for making chapatis.
Radhika suffered more than 70 per cent burns and is hospitalised in a critical condition. Police registered an attempt-to-murder case on the mother, Swarupa. Radhika is the first child of her parents, Dubba Chennaiah and Swarupa, residents of Chintagudem of Farooq-nagar mandal in Ranga Reddy district.
The couple owns four acres of farm land but worked as daily wage earners. Radhika has a sister and a brother younger to her and is studying in the local government primary school.
On Friday evening, after returning from work, Swarupa asked Radhika to get jowar atta from a shop. Radhika, while carrying the atta to her home, spilled some from the pack.
Girl’s Mother said to be mentally ill
When the daughter came back home, Swarupa got angry and beat her up. Not satisfied, she dragged the girl into the house, took a bottle of kerosene and poured it on her. She took a burning firewood from a chula, set the girl ablaze and left her on the floor.
“Hearing Radhika’s screams, neighbours rushed to their house and called an ambulance. She was rushed to the primary health centre for first aid and later shifted to Osmania General Hospital,” Shadnagar sub-inspector M. Dasu said.
Doctors said Radhika received over 70 per cent burns and her condition remained critical. Police recorded her statement and registered an attempt-to-murder case against the mother.
Police heard from neighbours that Swarupa had attempted suicide some years ago by consuming pesticide, as the family had serious financial problems. She survived that attempt but went into depression. Often, when there was a tiff in the house, she would threaten to commit suicide. The neighbours said that since recovering from the suicide attempt, she was mentally ill.
