When the girl refused to disclose her number, Shai allegedly thrashed her and set her on fire after sprinkling kerosene on her, said police.
A man in Uttar Pradesh’s Azamagarh district allegedly set a minor Dalit girl on fire at her house after she refused to share her mobile number with him, PTI reported on Wednesday.
The incident in Fariha village took place on Tuesday when Mohammad Shai, also resident of the same village, went to the victim’s house and allegedly pressurised her to give her mobile number to him. When the girl refused to disclose her number, Shai allegedly thrashed her and set her on fire after sprinkling kerosene on her, said police.
The neighbours, who gathered after hearing the girl’s cry, extinguished the fire, and nabbed the accused while he was trying to flee from the spot, police said.
After getting preliminary treatment at a nearby Sadar hospital, the girl was referred to a government hospital in Varanasi where her condition is stated to be critical, a police official said. The victim has sustained over 80 per cent burn injuries, the official said.
Police said a case has been registered against the accused under sections of the SC/ST Act, POCSO Act and IPC. In order to prevent any communal tension in the village, a large number of force has been deployed in the area, police said.
(With PTI inputs)