Man gets life imprisonment for setting afire 14-yr-old girl who refused to marry him

A 24-year-old man was sentenced to life imprisonment and fined Rs 10,000 by a Mahila court here on Thursday for killing a minor school girl in 2018 by setting her ablaze for spurning his marriage proposal.

Judge A Flora said the evidence and documents presented by the prosecution proved the case.

According to the prosecution, the 14-year-old girl, who resided in a village near Tirumangalam in the district, was doused with petrol and set ablaze by Balamurugan, a mill worker, who was related to her.

He was angry at the girl for rejecting his marriage proposal, the prosecution said.

The minor's mother, who happened to be passing by at the time of the incident, came to her rescue and admitted her to a hospital with 70 per cent burns. She died later.

The girl's parents had approached police a few times, complaining of alleged harassment by Balamurugan. The harassment continued for six months, they claimed.

Balamurugan had come on a two-wheeler with a can of petrol to set her ablaze and fled the scene afterwards, they said.

Police had registered cases against him under relevant sections for murder and the POCSO Act.