Girl sustains severe burns, neighbours suspect foul play

NAGPUR: A 16-year-old girl sustained severe burn injuries while trying to light the gas stove at her residence at Indira Gandhi Nagar on Tuesday morning. Gauri Kurhade, who suffered 76% burns, is recuperating at Indira Gandhi Government Medical College and Hospital. However, the neighbours of the girl claim that she was set afire by her stepmother.
The incident took place while the Class X student lighted the gas stove to heat water.The flames leapt up and Gauri's clothes caught fire. Her parents and siblings, who were watching TV in the other room, rushed on hearing her screams.
"The flames had engulfed her completely when she stumbled out of the room. She hugged me asking for help. I was so panicked that I threw the bed mattress on her to douse the fire. By that time, my vest too caught fire," said her father Prakash. Despite his injury, the father immediately called for an auto rickshaw and took her to the hospital.
The family members rushed with Gauri to the hospital, leaving behind the smouldering mattress. Sparks from the mattress then caused a fire that engulfed the entire house. The LPG cylinder kept in the kitchen also exploded in the fire, which severely damaged the entire house. The neighbours called the fire brigade and the blaze was soon brought under control.
Though Gauri in her initial statement to cops told that she caught fire while lighting a gas stove, the neighbours alleged that she was burned by her stepmother Geeta.
The neighbours said that Gauri was three years old when her mother died. "After two years, her father married Geeta. Since then, she would regularly torture the girl," said a neighbour Danesh Dhotre. He added that before going to school, Gauri would be forced by her stepmother to cook lunch.
The neighbours claimed that before the incident took place, they could hear Geeta scolding Gauri. They suspect that Gauri had either attempted to end her life or was disturbed due to the scolding, due to which the incident took place.
According to the cops, since Gauri was seriously injured, they could talk to her for only few minutes. "Further details will be taken after she recovers," said a cop from Yashodhara Nagar police station.