Teenager refuses to say 'Jai Shri Ram', set ablaze

Chandauli (Uttar Pradesh), July 29 (IANS) A 15-year-old Muslim boy was set on fire by four people in Chandauli district when the boy refused to chant "Jai Shri Ram".The incident took place on Sunday night and the boy has been admitted in Kabir Chaura hospital in Varanasi.The condition of the boy with 60 per cent burns is said to be critical.The teenager was set on fire when he refused to chant "Jai Shri Ram". He gave this statement on the hospital's camera."I was walking on Dudhari bridge when four men kidnapped me. Two of them tied my hand and third one started pouring kerosene. After which they set me on fire and ran away," he said. He later said that he was being forced to chant "Jai Shri Ram". However, the police are treating this whole case as suspicious.A senior police official in Varanasi told IANS that he was not aware of the incident.
--IANS amita/in