Six persons were today arrested in connection with setting a minor girl on fire and critically injuring her for protesting eve-teasing in Odisha's Kalahandi district, police said.
Those arrested included the two main accused and their parents.
While five of them were sent to jail after their bail plea was rejected by a court here, another accused was sent to the juvenile court in Berhampur as he is a minor, they said.
The accused persons were booked under various sections of the IPC and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
Being a minor, one of the accused Sana Sahu was produced before the CJM, Bhawanipatna who is also the chairman of the Juvenile Justice Board in Kalahandi.
The CJM sent the accused to the Juvenile Court in Berhampur.
The minor girl, studying in tenth standard, is battling for life after sustaining severe burn injuries after she was set on fire by two youths yesterday for protesting eve-teasing, police said.
The girl, a student of the TRW School at Madhupur under Lanjigarh block, was going to attend nature's call to a nearby stream yesterday when two youths, identified as Bulu Das and Shyama Sahoo of the same village, passed lewd comments at her.
The girl protested and informed the matter to her parents. Her mother then cautioned the youths for the act.
Enraged by the warning, the youths abused the girl's father in presence of others. Later in the evening when the girl was alone in her house, they trespassed and allegedly set her on fire after dousing her with kerosene oil, police said.
Hearing the girl's screams, local people rescued her and rushed her to a hospital. The girl sustained 90 per cent burn injuries.
As soon the matter was informed to the police, Inspector In-charge of Narla police station Ulasha Majhi recorded her statement at the hospital and the arrests were made thereafter, police said.
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