Property row: Two AIADMK men set girl, 15, afire in Tamil Nadu

VILLUPURAM: A 15-year-old girl, who was set on fire by two men over a property dispute on Sunday, died while undergoing treatment in the Villupuram Government Medical College and Hospital on Monday. Two AIADMK members were arrested in connection with the incident. They were later expelled from the primary membership of the party.
The deceased was identified as J Jayashree, daughter of K Jayabal, 42, of Sirumadurai in Villupuram district.She suffered more than 95% burns. Jayabal and his brother, K Kumar, 38, owned an acre of ancestral land, according to a senior police officer. There was a dispute over a piece of the land between them and G Murugan, 57, AIADMK’s Sirumadurai colony organizing committee representative.
CM announces Rs 5 lakh for family of girl burnt alive
Villupuram superintendent S Jayakumar said the victim sustained more than 95% burns. Based on a complaint by Jayabal, the Tiruvennainallur police registered a murder case against Murugan and his associate K Kaliyaperumal and arrested them. A 15-second video of Jayashree giving her dying declaration was widely shared on social media. CM Edappadi K Palaniswami announced a solatium of Rs 5 lakh to the aggrieved family.
On Sunday, Murugan’s associate visited Jayabal’s petty shop to buy cigarettes. A quarrel broke out between Jayabal’s son, Jayaraj, 17, and Murugan’s friend over the disputed land. Jayaraj suffered injuries during the quarrel. Following this, Jayabal lodged a police complaint against Murugan’s friend.
Furious over the complaint, Murugan and Kaliyaperumal, the AIADMK’s Sirumadurai dalit colony branch secretary, set Jayabal’s daughter on fire in the shop and fled. In 2013, Murugan along with seven others chopped off Kumar’s hand over the same property dispute. The case is under trial.
Dr R G Anand, member, child psychology and sociology, National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, New Delhi, sent a letter to the Villupuram collector requesting him to inquire into the matter and take strict action against the culprits under relevant sections of the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015, and the Indian Penal Code. An action-taken report should be shared with the commission within seven days of receipt of the letter.
Political leaders, including DMK president M K Stalin, MDMK leader Vaiko, AMMK leader T T V Dhinakaran, PMK’s S Ramadoss and VCK’s Villupuram MP D Ravikumar, condemned the incident and demanded stringent action against the accused for their inhuman act after a transparent probe to ensure justice for the girl’s family.