TN schoolgirl burnt alive dies, Stalin for severe punishment to killers

Chennai, May 11 (IANS) In a gruesome incident, a 14-year-old schoolgirl was set on fire in Villupuram district of Tamil Nadu by two men alleged to be connected to the ruling AIADMK. The girl died of 95 per cent burns on Monday.Demanding quick and severe punishment to the two accused, including a former municipal councillor, opposition Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) President M.K. Stalin on Monday claimed that the duo tied the hands and legs of Jayashree, stuffed her mouth with a cloth, and set her afire.The crime occurred on Sunday at Sirumadurai colony near Thiruvennainallur when the girl was alone at her house. The accused were said to have a previous enmity with her father Jayapal.Stalin said the girl was admitted in a government hospital with 95 per cent burn injuries, and in her dying declaration to a magistrate named the two AIADMK members as the culprits.According to Stalin, it is the second such crime of burning alive a student by AIADMK members. A bus was set ablaze in Dharmapuri, in which three girl students of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University were burnt alive in 2000.Stalin urged the police to act impartially and ensure the strictest punishment to the culprits.
--IANS vj/tsb