Two men abscond after setting girl on fire

Two people are on the run after setting a 14-year old girl on fire in a village in Odisha, police said Monday.

The incident took place at Kharinashi village in the district of Kendrapada, about 150 kim from state capital Bhubaneswar Sunday.

Abhinab Dalua, inspector in charge of Mahakalpada police station, said one of the accused persons wanted to marry the elder sister of the victim. He was enraged when the family solemnized her marriage somewhere else.

The man who belonged to the same village was allegedly threatening the family of the woman and her in laws since then. The village committee was scheduled to hold a meeting Wednesday to take action against him.

The man along with one of his friend's invited the younger sister of the woman Sunday, dragged her inside a house, poured kerosene on her and set her ablaze.

The teenager who studies in class seven has been shifted to Sriram Chandra Bhanja Medical college hospital at Cuttack after her condition deteriorated. She has sustained about 70 percent burn injuries, Dalua told IANS.

A manhunt has been launched to nab the culprits. Investigation is on to find out if the girl was raped before being put on fire by the offenders, he said.