3 youths arrested in class X student’s burning case; govt announces Rs 10 L ex gratia to family

BAPATLA: Three youths were arrested by police in connection with the burning a 15-year-old boy alive at Cherukupalli mandal in Bapatla district on Friday.

Disclosing the case details to the media here on Saturday, Superintendent of Police (SP) Vakul Jindal said that the accused were identified as P Venkateswar Reddy (20), the prime accused, along with three other persons, P Gopi Reddy (25), M Veera Babu (20) and T Sambi Reddy. The fourth accused, Sambi Reddy, is on the run.

The incident occurred on Friday at 5:30 am, when the boy, identified as U Amarnath, a class X student, was on his way to attend his tuition classes on his bicycle. At that moment, the accused Venkateswara Reddy, who was also a friend of Amarnath, followed him with other friends. After reaching Reddy Palem village, Venkateswara Reddy doused Amaranath in petrol, which he was already carrying and set him ablaze. Locals and passersby had rushed to Amarnath after hearing his pleas for help. They doused the flames and rushed him to Government General Hospital (GGH) in Guntur. Amaranth breathed his last after undergoing treatment at Guntur GGH, the SP said.

Based on the statement given by Amarnath, the police launched a probe and came to know that the accused and his friends had been harassing Amarnath’s sister for several months. On learning about the matter, Amarnath informed everyone and also complained to Venkateswara Reddy’s mother. Angered over the developments in the issue, Venkateswara Reddy developed a grudge against Amarnath and burnt him alive. ‘’We are investigating the case from all possible angles and gathering technical proof. A petrol bottle was also collected from the crime spot and sent for fingerprint examination. A video statement of Amarnath was taken and measures were being taken to punish the accused through fast track court,’’ Vakul Jindal said.

The SP also ruled out the speculation of political interference in the case and said that the incident was purely a personal issue between two people. It’s not correct to attribute the incident to politics as the police reacted immediately and arrested the accused within hours. A case was registered under section 302 (murder) and 354 (D) (stalking) at Cherukupalli police station, besides invoking the POCSO Act against the accused, the SP said.

Govt announces Rs 10 lakh ex gratia, job, house site for Amarnath’s family

Demanding justice to Amarnath’s family in the horrific incident, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) Repalle MLA A Satya Prasad, along with BC association leaders, staged a rasta roko near Island center in Cherukupalli, while the boy was being taken for cremation. They also prevented Amarnath's final procession and continued their protest on the National Highway (NH) demanding Rs 25 lakh compensation for the deceased’s family. With this, traffic came to a standstill for almost three hours on the NH.

With the situation going out of control, Repalle RDO Parthasarathy reached Cherukupalli and spoke to Bapatla Collector P Ranjit Basha over phone. The RDO announced Rs 10 lakh ex gratia, job and house site for Amarnath’s family on behalf of the State government. Later, the boy’s final rites were performed in Uppalavaripalem.