Patna: A 17-year-old girl has died after being set on fire in Patna district, in a case that has triggered outrage and renewed concerns over violence against women. The incident took place on January 17, in Bairiya village, under the Gopalpur police station area, according to police and family members.
Relatives said the accused, identified as a 22-year-old man from the same village, had been harassing the girl on her daily route for months. On the afternoon of the attack, he allegedly stopped her while she was returning home from her grandmother’s house and pressured her to talk to him. When she refused, he threatened to pour petrol on her and set her on fire, the family said.
Police said an argument followed, after which the man allegedly poured petrol on the girl and set her alight. Witnesses said she ran for nearly 100 feet while on fire before collapsing on the road. Local people rushed her to hospital, and she was later admitted to Nalanda Medical College Hospital in Patna with severe burns.
Despite treatment, the girl, identified as Muskan Kumari, died early on Friday morning, six days after the attack. Before her death, she gave a statement to the police alleging that the accused had forcibly poured petrol on her and lit a matchstick, setting her on fire.
Muskan’s father, Dilip Kumar, said she was a class 10th student who had been living with her grandmother in Bairiya so she could continue her studies. He alleged that the accused had also threatened to make a photograph of her viral after she refused to speak to him.
Police officials said a case has been registered and raids are under way to arrest the accused, who is currently absconding. “We are conducting continuous searches and will arrest him soon,” a senior police officer said.
