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Maharashtra lecturer set afire by stalker succumbs to injuries
The woman was on her way to work when the 27-year-old accused, Vikesh Nagrale, poured petrol on her and set her on fire, police said
A 24-year-old college teacher who was set on fire by a stalker in Maharashtra’s Wardha district last week, died on Monday, the hospital where she was admitted said in a statement.
On February 3, the woman was on her way to work when the 27-year-old accused, Vikesh Nagrale, poured petrol on her and set her on fire, police said. Nagrale was arrested the same day. Police said the accused was a friend of the victim till two years ago, but she severed ties with him due to his “irrational behaviour”. The woman suffered 40% burn injuries in the assault and was undergoing treatment at Nagpur’s Orange City Hospital.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, hospital officials familiar with the matter said the woman’s health deteriorated in the last two days and she was put on a ventilator. “Her health had been deteriorating and her blood pressure was also fluctuating. Her heart failed twice. The first time we could revive her, but not the second time,” the hospital said in a bulletin.
The bulletin added that the woman also suffered inhalation injuries. “Her burn injuries were deep and due to infection, [they] also affected her organs. Her lungs were affected as all three layers of the skin were burned. She had suffered grade three level burns and inhalation injuries,” the bulletin said.
When police reached Daroda village to hand over the woman’s body to her parents, they faced protests from local residents who demanded that the accused be given the strictest possible punishment, police officials familiar with the matter said.
Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray said the government will ensure that the guilty is punished at the earliest. “We have appointed Ujjwal Nikam as the special public prosecutor, investigations will be sped up and the case will be assigned to a fast track court. We will ensure that there are no delays of any kind,” he said.
State home minister Anil Deshmukh said he has assured the victim’s family of all possible assistance. “Despite our best efforts, we could not save the woman. I have spoken to her parents and have told them that the government will stand by them with all its strength. We have also offered a government job to her brother,” he said.
(With agency inputs)
