A nursing student was set on fire by an 18-year-old teenager after her family refused his marriage proposal in Kerala's Pathanamthitta district. The victim has suffered almost 80 per cent burns and is undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Thiruvalla.
The incident took place at around 9.30 am on Tuesday. According to police, Ajin Reji Mathew tried to kill 20-year-old Kavitha Vijayakumar, a B.Sc nursing student of Tata Institute of Medical Sciences, by pouring petrol over her body and setting her on fire near a crowded junction in Thiruvalla.
Kavitha was on her way to college when Ajin approached her at around 8.30 am near Chilanka junction. The accused then took two bottles of petrol which he had bought with him, poured them over Kavitha and set her on fire.
Ajin had tried to flee but was caught by locals and handed over to the police. The bystanders helped douse the flames and took Kavitha to a hospital. The police have arrested Ajin, a resident of Kumbanad.
According to the police, Ajin and Kavitha were schoolmates and he had developed a love interest towards her. The accused has claimed that they were in a relationship and that he had approached her family with a marriage proposal. It was refused by Kavitha's family.
