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Kerala: In a shocking incident, a teenager set a young woman ablaze in broad daylight, at Pathanamthitta in Kerala on Tuesday morning.
Kavitha Vijaya Kumar (20), a B.Sc student at the Tata Institute of Medical Sciences is battling for life with 80 percent burn injuries and is undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Thiruvalla. The police have taken into custody Ajin Reji Mathew, a resident of Kumbanad and the victim’s school-mate.
On Tuesday morning, Kavitha was on her way to the college when the accused approached her. As per eyewitnesses, the two had a heated argument and soon the accused splashed petrol on the girl and set her on fire. Though the accused tried to flee, the bystanders had nabbed him and handed him over to the police. Meanwhile, the bystanders had also tried to douse the fire off and take the victim to the hospital.
As per police sources, the accused has said that he was in a relationship with Kavitha, which is not yet confirmed. However, the victim’s family sources claim that they had rejected a marriage proposal from the accused, which led to the incident.
It may be recalled that in 2017, a similar incident had taken place in Kottayam School of Medical Education, where a student had set a girl ablaze right inside the classroom for turning down his proposal. The girl, who had suffered 80 per cent burns later succumbed to the injuries.
