A medical student who was set on fire in Kolar last week died of burn injuries in Bangalore on Tuesday.
Kameshwar Sai Prasad, a resident of Kalwakurthy near Mahbubnagar in Andhra Pradesh, was walking home on November 12 when two men approached him on a motorcycle, poured petrol on him and set a match to his body. An earlier report had suggested he was killed because he resisted a mugging attempt.
Prasad was a final year MBBS student of Devaraj Urs Medical College at Tamaka, on the outskirts of Kolar. He was shifted from Kolar to St John’s Medical College and Hospital in Bangalore. George D’Souza, the hospital’s medical superintendent, said, “Since Monday, his condition was deteriorating, and his respiratory and renal systems failed.”
Prasad had suffered 60 per cent burn injuries and the hospital was ready to perform a skin graft after he had recovered, D’Souza said.
The attack victim did not show any signs of recovery. He died at 1.30 pm on Tuesday. The hospital then handed over his body to his relatives. Prasad’s body will be brought back to his native village on Wednesday.
A tearful Lakshman Sharma, Prasad’s father, described how he had heard about the horrific attack. “Two boys set him ablaze. We want them punished,” he said.
Kolar district Superintendent of Police Ram Niwas Sepat told Express that a special squad has been formed to arrest the culprits at the earliest.
The boy’s parents Lakshman Sharma and Jyothi, both advocates, were at his side when he breathed his last. He was on dialysis after his kidneys failed. Lakshman Sharma is president of the Kalwakurthy Bar Association.
Locals and one of his roommates, who had rushed to the spot, doused the flames and alerted the police. He was rushed to the Devraj Urs Medical College Hospital first, and later shifted to St John’s Medical College Hospital. A week after the attack, police have made no headway in the case. However, news reports in Hyderabad suggested that his parents were of the view that rivalry between Rayalaseema and Telangana students in the college might have claimed his life.
According to sources, Karnataka police officials were asked by Union Minister S Jaipal Reddy to leave no stone unturned in bringing the culprits to book. In Bangalore, police told the media they had some clues and expressed hope that the culprits would be arrested soon.
Prasad’s body will be brought back to his native village on Wednesday