Mohali Teen Set Ablaze With Sanitiser After Father Slaps Accused: Police
A 16-year-old girl is hospitalised with serious burns after a man allegedly poured sanitiser on her and set her on fire in Mohali, Punjab, police said on Saturday. The accused, identified as Deepak, in his early 20s, has been arrested in connection with the incident that occurred on Friday.
The teenager was first taken to a government hospital in Mohali, and later referred to the Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) in Chandigarh due to the severity of her injuries. Police recorded her statement at PGIMER in the presence of doctors, officials told reporters.
According to the First Information Report (FIR), the girl told police that she was on her way to her grandmother's house in Mohali on Friday morning when the accused pulled her into his house. The two spoke for 10–15 minutes before her grandmother and father arrived at the accused's residence searching for her.
A heated argument followed, and the girl's father slapped Deepak, the FIR stated. Later, Deepak, accompanied by some of his family members, came to the girl's house, where a fight broke out between the two families.
In the course of the incident, Deepak allegedly followed the girl to the upper floor of her house while holding a plastic bottle containing a liquid, which police have described as sanitiser. He poured the liquid on her and set her on fire, the FIR said. He also locked the room from inside. The victim managed to open the door, after which her father poured water on her to extinguish the flames and rushed her to a hospital.
Based on the victim's statement, a case has been registered under sections 109 (attempt to murder), 74 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 331 (house trespass), and 124(1) (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by use of acid or similar substances) of the relevant legal code, along with provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Further investigation is underway, police said.
The legal process will determine the facts of the case, and the accused is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The victim's identity is protected under Indian law as a minor and survivor of a crime.
