NAGAPATTINAM: Unable to accept her teenage daughter being in a relationship with a Dalit youth, a woman set the girl and herself on fire in a village near Nagapattinam on Tuesday.
They suffered 90 per cent burns and have been admitted to the Nagapattinam General Hospital.
According to sources, the girl would be 18 years old by this month.
The woman, a resident of a village in Thirumarugal, works as a casual labourer. Her husband is a carpenter and farmworker.
The couple also has a 16-year-old son.
The girl studied till Class 11 before her parents learnt about her relationship with the boy and pulled her out of school. According to sources, the two allegedly eloped on two occasions. The girl was brought back home by her parents.
In the early hours on Tuesday, the woman and her daughter got into an argument. When the girl allegedly refused to stop seeing the youth, her mother poured kerosene on her daughter and herself and set themselves on fire.
Hearing their screams, relatives put out the fire and took them to the GH.
The police recorded the girl’s statement and took a complaint from her.
The Dalit youth was also questioned. A case has been registered.
Sources said the mom was livid after the girl told her that she would live with her lover once she turned 18.
The boy’s family called it a caste-based killing.