CHENNAI: A 14-year-old Class IX student from Chengalpattu district sustained serious burn injuries after he set himself ablaze at an an open ground inside the Kalpakkam Atomic Energy Township on Tuesday night. His condition is said to be critical, and is undergoing treatment at Government Kilpauk Medical College Hospital.
The police said the boy walked to the ground around 8 pm with a plastic can of petrol, and about half an hour later, set himself ablaze. The teenager, who suffered nearly 90% burns, was first taken to the Kalpakkam Nuclear Power Hospital before being shifted to the Chengalpattu Government Medical College Hospital, and later moved to the Kilpauk hospital.
Kalpakkam police and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel have seized the petrol can, matchbox and other materials from the spot.
Sources said the boy was scolded by his mother earlier in the evening for not studying properly. An FIR has been registered, and further investigation is under way.
(Assistance for individuals experiencing suicidal thoughts is available via Tamil Nadu’s health helpline 104 and the Sneha suicide-prevention helpline: 044-24640050)