Andhra: Parents of boy burnt to death in Bapatla stage protest

Bapatla (Andhra Pradesh) [India], June 18 : The parents of the deceased class 10th student who was set on fire allegedly by four people, protested at Ambedkar Centre in Baptla district on Saturday.

The deceased was identified as Uppalavaripalem Amarnath (15). He was allegedly set on fire by four people after he objected to the sexual harassment of his sister by one of the accused, the police said on Friday.

A huge crowd gathered to support the family.

Superintendent of Police (SP) Bapatla, Vakul Jindal, said, "We have arrested three accused out of four in this case. The accused Venkateshwar Reddy bore a grudge against Amarnath."

"Yesterday the accused executed the plan. Now three accused are in custody and one more will be arrested soon. Further probe is on and a fastrack investigation is underway," the SP added.

"Uppalavaripalem Amarnath, a 10th-class student of Cherukupalli Mandal, Rajolu Gram Panchayat, was attacked by four miscreants. After assaulting him, the miscreants sprinkled petrol and lit a fire," said SP Vakul Jindal on Friday.

In his dying statement, he told police that he was stopped by one Venki along with three people on his way to a tuition centre.

"After assaulting the victim, the group attempted to set him ablaze," Amarnath told police in his dying statement.

Later, he was rushed to hospital where he died during the treatment, as per police.

During the preliminary inquiry, police said it learnt that the prime suspect had an "affair" with the deceased boy's sister. "This could have led to a fight", the SP said.

The deceased's family alleged that the prime suspect Venki (21) had harassed his sister.

"When confronted, an argument broke out leading to a fight between them," the family alleged.

Police said they are verifying the allegations of the family.

"A case has been registered under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and police teams have been deployed to nab the accused," Police said.

The body has been shifted for Post-mortem, they said. "Further investigation is underway," the police officer said.