A video grab of the incident
Kolkata: A 17-year-old boy was allegedly assaulted, doused with petrol, and set on fire near a pond in Nelinnagar in Garfa by a group of acquaintances, two of them minors and the rest under 21. Though the incident was reported on Oct 27, it attracted attention only after the video went viral and arrests were made on Thursday. The three accused above 18 — Arghya Saha, Rajat Seal, and Rohit Das — were subsequently arrested and the two minor boys.
Cops said the incident was partly triggered by an old grudge and an attempt to record a reel for social media. The victim survived the attack by stripping off his burning shirt as he fled the spot. However, he sustained burns. Locals came to his aid and alerted cops. Others instigated him and one of them, Rohit Das, videographed the incident with his cellphone. ” Investigators found that after the attack, the accused threatened the victim, instructing him to tell police that the incident was merely conducted to make a reel rather than physical torture.
Additional CP (crime) Kunal Aggarwal said, “Around 2.45 pm on Oct 27, Garfa PS received information that a boy had been set on fire beside the Nelinagar pond. Following a written complaint lodged by the victim’s family, officers from Garfa Police Station started a probe and registered an attempt-to-murder case. We reached the spot and found that the five accused had surrounded and accosted the minor victim. The main accused, Arghya Saha, poured petrol from a bottle that had been kept inside a scooter, lit a matchstick and set the victim on fire.