UP teen set on fire, battling for life

A man set a girl on fire after he was upset over a past relationship between his sister and the victim's brother.

Meerut:A 14-year-old girl is battling for life after being allegedly set on fire in Uttar Pradesh's Meerut district by a man who was upset over a past relationship between his sister and the victim's brother, police said.

The attack created tension between the Hindu and Muslim communities at a village in Daurala area, 15 km north of Meerut city, as the victim and the accused belong to two different communities, the police said.

The man poured a bottle of kerosene over the girl while she was sleeping on the rooftop of her house with her parents on Wednesday night. The girl suffered 80 per cent burns and first taken to a district hospital and then referred to a hospital in Delhi, an officer said.

The police have registered a case but are yet to make an arrest. The youth presented himself before the police, claiming innocence, Daurala Circle Officer Jitendra Kumar said.

Some people have been detained for questioning in connection with the case, Kumar said.

The two families had earlier slapped cases against each other after the accused's sister left home with the girl's brother last year.

Read: Man hacked to death in Hyderabad