Nivedha, the younger sister of Indhuja who was burnt alive on Monday by a former classmate, told the police that the man who has since been arrested for the crime, Akash, had poured some inflammable fluid on her sister from a can that he had brought along with him, and set her on fire before fleeing.
In her complaint to the police, she narrated the sequence of events that led to the death of Indhuja and grievous injuries for her mother Renuka.
The investigating officer A. Murali has incorporated the statement/complaint of Nivedha in his first information report (FIR). While the family members — her sister, mother and her brother — were at home on Monday at 9 p.m., Akash knocked on the door.
Renuka opened the door and asked him what the matter was. He told her that he wanted to talk with Indhuja.
In her oral complaint, Nivedha explained to the police officer, “Since he was known to my sister already, my mother told me to let him talk with my sister. Later, we were sitting in the hall while my sister and Akash, sitting on a sofa, were talking. Suddenly, he got up and poured fuel from a yellow can on to my sister. As my sister screamed, we — my mother and I — ran to help and pushed him away. At that point, the fuel remaining in the can splashed on to both of us and him. He immediately flicked a cigarette lighter and threw it on my sister. Instantly, the flames engulfed her and she screamed loud in agony.”
“When we tried to rescue my sister, the fire spread to us too. On hearing our cries, Ramkumar, who lives in the ground floor, rushed to our flat. Akash pushed Ramkumar and fled. My sister collapsed. Neighbours rushed in and put out the fire. The staff of 108 ambulance stated that my sister was dead already,” Nivedha narrated to the investigating officer while she was admitted in the private hospital.
Renuka and Nivedha, who were admitted to Government Kilpauk College Hospital, were shifted to Apollo Hospitals, Vanagaram.
On Wednesday, a judicial magistrate recorded the statements of Renuka and Nivedha in the hospital on the circumstances that led to the killing of Indhuja, besides the injury caused to them. Renuka continues to be critical.
Body handed over
Meanwhile, the body of Indhuja was handed over to her father Shanmugam and relatives after the completion of the post-mortem in Government Hospital, Chrompet.
A relative of the family told The Hindu , “It was portrayed in some sections of the media as if the deceased and the accused were in love. It is totally wrong. Our girl was never in love with him and never intended to marry him. They were merely classmates.”
Friends and relatives of Indhuja staged a demonstration in front of Adambakkam police station on Wednesday, asking for stringent punishment for the accused.
