‘Molested’ girl sets herself on fire in Moradabad

Choudhury also said that the statement of the girl could not be recorded as she was unconscious. A police team,along with a magistrate,will go to Delhi tomorrow to record her statement.

The parents and the younger sister of the girl have told the police that she took the step as she was upset over her harassment,said the SSP.

SP (City) Mahendra Yadav said the incident had taken place on Monday when the 16-year-old girl was returning home from school around 2.30 pm.

In a complaint,the girl said that a local youth,Danish,accompanied by two others,stopped her and offered to take her for a movie. When she turned him down,Danish allegedly molested the girl and dragged her,asking her to sit on his motorcycle. When the girl resisted,Danish allegedly slapped her. Her uniform was torn in the scuffle,said the SP.

He said Danish was arrested and sent to jail last evening. Later,the parents of Danish and of the girl had a discussion following the intervention of some locals.

In the morning,the girl picked up a bottle of petrol kept in her house and doused herself with it and set herself on fire. Other family members,who were asleep,got up and put out the flames and rushed her to the district hospital from where she was referred to Delhi,said Yadav.

The girl’s father,who runs a bicycle repairing shop at Harthala locality in Civil Lines,said Danish is a local goon and had been stalking his daughter for the last 15 days. He used to pass obscene remarks and had even threatened to throw acid on her when she had scuffle with him on Monday.