In a shocking incident, an 18-year-old youth tried to set a girl on fire near Thiruvalla’s Chilanka junction on Tuesday morning, after she allegedly turned down his proposal.
The victim is a 20-year-old student at Tata Institute of Medical Sciences.
Onlookers alleged that the accused, Ajin Reji Mathew, a resident of Kumbanad in Pathanamthitta district, waited for the girl to come out of her institution after which they reportedly had an argument. He first tried to stab the girl on her stomach and then doused two bottles of petrol over her head. An Indian Express report quoted cops who said he also carried a set of ropes, to kill himself later.
Locals intervened and immediately admitted the victim, a native of Ayiroor near Kozhenchery, to Pushpagiri Medical College.
The accused was arrested by the police under charges of attempt to murder.
Hospital authorities stated that the girl was on ventilator support where she remains critical. Media reports state that she has sustained nearly 85 per cent burns.
(With inputs from online desk)