india

Updated: May 20, 2019 09:33 IST

Vishnu Goswami, 22, succumbed to burn injuries in a city hospital on Sunday morning after he was set ablaze by a group of four youngsters over a petty dispute in a Gonda village five days ago.

The news of his death led to tension at his native place — Mughal Jot Chistipur village of Gonda district — and markets remained closed in protest of the incident. Police force was deployed and a peace committee meeting was held in the area apprehending communal tension, as the victim and the assailants belonged to different communities, said the police.

Saras Shukla, a social activist, who was helping the victim’s family in Lucknow, said the youth had suffered nearly 65% burn injuries and was first admitted to the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Hospital for three days. “The victim belonged to a poor family and had not enough money, so we managed funds from different sources to shift him to a private hospital for better treatment. He was shifted on Saturday, but he succumbed,” he stated.

According to Shukla, doctors said the victim died on Sunday morning after breathlessness due to major damage caused to the pulmonary system of the body.

The victim’s cousin, Raj Kumar Goswami, said the incident occurred when Vishnu and his brother Mahesh had gone to get back their drunken father, Ramgeer Goswami, who was loitering near the village, under Kotwali Dehat police limits, at around 8.30 pm on Tuesday.

He said the four accused got into a verbal duel with the brothers while they were trying to take their father home. The accused confronted Vishnu and allegedly set him ablaze after pouring petrol on him when he was washing his face after the heated exchange.

Inspector (Kotwali Dehat), Rajnath Singh, said the four accused –Imran, Ramzan, Nizamudeen and Tufail – were arrested on Tuesday night after registering an FIR of attempt to murder. He said the case will be altered. “Force has been deployed in the village to prevent any further trouble after the arrest of the assailants,” said the inspector.