Boy burnt alive in Punjab town

A 12-year-old boy was burnt alive in Punjab's Malerkotla town after being kidnapped by unidentified people, police said.

The victim, Vidhu Jain, a school student, was taken to a local hospital in the town, 110 km from here, with 100 percent burns where he succumbed to his injuries.

Eyewitnesses told the police that the boy, who was going to his brother's school to drop his tiffin, was kidnapped by unidentified people, who poured petrol on him and set him on fire.

The incident led to protests from local residents who damaged buses and other vehicles and blocked highways.

Police officials said that they were trying to identify the people who set the boy on fire.

"We are investigating the incident," a police officer in Malerkotla said.