Madhya Pradesh: 11-year-old, beaten by police for riding his bicycle, dies of burns

Indore, Feb 1: An 11-year-old girl died on Saturday, two days after she is said to have set herself on fire after allegedly being thrashed and threatened by a policeman.

Assistant sub-inspector Prakash Jaroliya had allegedly beaten up Yasmeen (11) for riding his bicycle without permission.

"The doctors at Maharaja Yeshwantrao Hospital tried hard to save Yasmeen, who had 100 per cent burn injuries, but could not," superintendent of police RC Rajput said. Citing eyewitnesses, he said the ASI lost his cool when he saw Yasmeen riding his bicycle on January 29 in Sikandrabad colony.

He thrashed her and threatened to file a case of bicycle theft against her and her family members and send them to jail.

Rajput said that prime facie it appeared that the girl was too frightened by the threat, and set herself afire at her house. The police were waiting for autopsy report before initiating criminal proceedings against Jaroliya, the SP said.

Jaroliya and his family members were untraceable and their house was found to be locked, he said. Rehana Bi, Yasmeen's mother, however alleged that it was Jaroliya who set her daughter on fire. She herself was not at home at the time, she said.

PTI