A five-year-old girl was allegedly sexually abused and set ablaze by her neighbour last Friday near her colony in Bannerghatta Road.
The girl was taken to Victoria Hospital, where she succumbed to injuries on Wednesday. The Bannerghatta Police registered a case of attempted murder the very day the incident was reported.
However, parents of the girl are alleging that they are being pressurised by the police to withdraw the complaint and opt for a settlement, where they would be compensated, The New Indian Express reported.
The parents of the girl, who suffered 85% burn injuries, are not willing to withdraw the complaint under any circumstances. They demanded that the police conduct an inquiry, which would reveal the truth, the report added.
Parents of the deceased girl allege that their daughter had confided in them when she was at the hospital that their neighbour had thrown a matchstick at her. They allege that she was sexually abused.
The girl, who came back from the anganwadi on Friday, went to the neighbour’s house to play with their baby. It was at that time, she was set ablaze, parents alleged.
However, the Bannerghatta Police, on Thursday, said that the accused, Satish, was smoking and the match stick was accidentally thrown on the girl.
The DG and IGP, RK Dutta, told TNIE that Satish had asked the girl to buy him beedi and a match box from the nearby shop. Although the incident had occurred on Friday, Satish had admitted the girl to a private hospital and was shifted to Victoria later, when the parents were informed, the report adds.
The Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KSCPCR) has written to the Bannerghatta Police Station’s sub-inspector, asking him to submit a detailed report on the case and has questioned him if any action has been taken with regard to the sexual abuse case.
Though doctors at the Victoria Hospital burns ward had, on Thursday, said that there was no evidence of sexual abuse, the parents remain unconvinced.