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. 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. Though the incident was reported on Oct 27, it attracted attention only after the video went viral and arrests were made on Thursday.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. The three accused above 18 — Arghya Saha, Rajat Seal, and Rohit Das — were subsequently arrested and the two minor boys.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. 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. Others instigated him and one of them, Rohit Das, videographed the incident with his cellphone.”On Oct 28, the three adult accused were remanded in judicial custody until Nov 4. After the video went viral, on Nov 4, the court remanded them in police custody until Nov 8. The two apprehended minors were placed at Dhrubasharam under the orders of the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB).The injured teenager said, “I was returning home after work when they surrounded me and started friendly banter. They then made me sit by the pond and poured me a drink. But I realised they had mixed petrol in it and refused. This upset them. After that, they put a helmet on me, covered my eyes and started slapping me. They asked me to identify the person hitting me. After I failed, they poured petrol on me and set me on fire. I ran for my life.”Explaining the potential motive, the youth said, “Six months ago, they claimed I owed them Rs 500. I had already paid it off, but they were still holding on to an old grudge.”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.“During preliminary investigation, we learnt the accused are all friends and committed the crime for the sheer thrill and social media attention,” said Aggarwal.Police officials and experts note multiple factors associated with juvenile delinquency, including familial environment, peer influence, and biological changes. Officers from the detective department also noted that financial demands and attempts to seek peer attention frequently appear in cases involving minors and young adults.
