He had cut all ties with her, says aunt of Bengaluru student set ablaze over affair with cousin

The family of the engineering student, who was doused in petrol and set on fire by his uncle for being in a relationship with his daughter, has claimed he had cut all ties with her. 

Shashank, 18, a first-year computer science at a Kengeri college, was set ablaze by his uncle Manu alias Mahesh. He has suffered large-scale burns and is being treated at Victoria Hospital. 

The victim's maternal aunt, Hira, said Shashank and Lahari (Manu’s daughter) had been in a relationship for three years but it came to their attention only last week. Manu and his family live in Chamarajanagar. Lahari is six months older than Shashank. 

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"Lahari’s father found out about the relationship on July 7. He took away her phone and laptop. She fled home on July 10 and took a bus to Bengaluru to visit Shashank’s house in RR Nagar," Hira told DH. 

When Manu discovered that Lahari was missing, he immediately contacted Shashank, who was in college at the time and said he didn't know where she was. This happened before Lahari arrived at Shashank's house. Shashank's family, however, contacted Manu and told him about Lahari as soon as she got there. 

"Later that day, Manu visited Shashank’s house along with four other people and assaulted Shashank in the face, causing him to bleed," claimed Hira. "They took Lahari back home. We spoke to Shashank and made him understand the family pedigree. He cut his ties with Lahari and started going back to college,” she said. 

Hira said that after taking Lahari back home, they had tried convincing her to get married but she rejected the proposition right away. She was determined to marry Shashank and didn’t listen to Manu. 

Infuriated, Manu decided to eliminate Shashank and drove to Kumbalgodu on Saturday with six people. The group forced Shashank into their Toyota Innova and drove to a desolate place near the Kaniminake toll plaza, where they set him aflame. 

Shashank somehow managed to call Hira. She rushed to the spot and took him to the Rajarajeswari Medical College and Hospital for treatment. He was eventually shifted to Victoria Hospital. 

The family expressed dismay at the police investigation, saying the suspects hadn't been apprehended even three days after the incident.