Disabled girl set on fire after brother elopes with girl

BHOPAL: A 17-year-old physically challenged girl was burnt to death in Bhopal, allegedly by the father and maternal uncle of a girl her brother has eloped with.

What was initially thought to be a case of immolation turned out to be murder as the victim, Naina

Chourasia

, managed to give her dying statement on Monday. Police have arrested the two accused -

Radha Mohan Agnihotri

and Amit Tiwari. According to Naina's statement, she tried to get away when the duo poured petrol on her, but due to her disability couldn't get far and they set her on fire.

The two families are neighbours in Bhopal's Nishatpura locality. Radha Mohan had filed a complaint with police on January 2 that 21-year-old Deepak alias Kallu Chourasia (Naina's brother) had kidnapped his daughter, a 17-year-old, on New Year's Day. Police registered a case and started an investigation.

Radhamohan

went around looking for Deepak and called his brother-in-law, Amit, from Itawah, UP, where he lives.

Duo pressured Naina into revealing her bro’s location
According to police, the duo allegedly went to the Chourasia home around 8.30pm on Sunday. Naina was alone then. They tried to pressure her into revealing Deepak’s whereabouts. When she denied knowing anything, they allegedly flew into a rage and set her on fire, said Nishatpura SHO Chain

Singh Raghuwanshi

. Her neighbours took her to Hamidia Hospital where she died on Monday morning.

On the basis of her dying declaration, Nishatpura police arrested Radhamohan and Amit for murder. Naina’s family tried to stage a protest at Nishatpura police station with her body but police stopped it. The victim’s family alleges that Radhamohan’s brother, too, was present during Naina’s murder, but ASP (Zone 4) Sameer Yadav said Naina’s statement mentions only two men. However, the family’s allegations will be investigated, he said.

Naina’s elder sister Sonu said that the teenager had narrated how the duo attacked her. “Radhamohan and Amit knocked on the door and started beating her when they found she was alone.

Naina pleaded that she doesn’t have any information about Deepak but they poured petrol on her, which they had brought in a bottle. She struggled to move away but they set her ablaze, closed the door and fled. A neighbour saw the fire and rushed to help,” Sonu said.

Deepak and Radhamohan’s daughter, who is three months shy of 18, allegedly eloped after she left home for tuition on January 1. She left behind a note for her family, saying she was going with Deepak on her own will, say police.

Naina’s brother Ashu said that police were pressurising the family to “produce Deepak within 24 hours”. “Radhamohan’s relative is said to be a cop, which is why police were regularly coming to our house and threatening us. I was so depressed that I tried to commit suicide by jumping before a train. However, my friends saved me,” said another of Naina’s sisters, Ashu.