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'He ran out, still on fire'

Updated on: 15 June,2010 09:00 AM IST  | 
Bindiya Carmeline Thomas |

Wife of burn victim says it was an accident and not a suicide attempt

'He ran out, still on fire'

Wife of burn victim says it was an accident and not a suicide attempt







In our follow-up, we spoke to his wife and the people who saved him, and a new story has emerged in the entire episode.

Kanthraj arrived at this Boweelane 'A' street home, located in Ashok Nagar, in an inebriated state at around
11 pm on Sunday, and started a quarrel with his wife Sumitra (36).

On Sunday night, Kanthraj arrived at thisu00a0 home in an inebriated state and started a quarrel with his wife Sumitra.


Sumitra told MiD DAY, "He had been arguing with me all morning about a funeral that was being held close to our house. I told him to leave it alone but he wanted to fight with the mourners."u00a0
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After the second round of arguments that night, Kanthraj stepped into the next room to use the washroom, next to which the family kept a bottle of kerosene.

In his drunken state, Kanthraj didn't notice the bottle and dropped it. Still unnoticed, he stepped out to pick up cigarettes.

"When he came back, the electricity was out. He lit a candle and dropped the match where he was standing. As a result, he immediately caught fire, and ran into our living room," said Sumitra.

Ironically, when Kanthraj ran out onto the street, it was the funeral attendees he complained about who rushed to his aide.
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Velumurgan (30), a cab driver, said, "Around 50 people were on the street for the funeral. Luckily a drum of clean drinking water was kept close by which helped us save him."

Vijay Hadagali, Sub Inspector, Ashok Nagar Police Station, said, "It was not a case of attempted suicide. It was just an accident."

Dr Tilak, the Medical Superintendent at Victoria Hospital, told MiD DAY, "He has received 56u00a0 per cent burns all over his face, neck and chest. Recovery will not be easy."

He added, "We still can't say for sure how he will be in the next few days. But he has been moved out of the ICU."

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