Teen dies after setting himself ablaze during scuffle with brother in UP's Hardoi

A youth died here after allegedly setting himself on fire during a scuffle with his elder brother over a motorcycle. The altercation broke out after the elder brother, allegedly drunk, insisted on riding the two-wheeler against their father's wishes, police said on Saturday.

The incident took place in Naroiya village in the Atrauli area on Friday evening, they said.

The brothers -- Sheru and 18-year-old Nikhil -- got into an argument after Sheru allegedly arrived at the family shop in an inebriated state and demanded the keys to the motorcycle to go to Puwayan. Nikhil objected, saying their father had forbidden him from taking the bike.

During the altercation, Sheru allegedly poured petrol on the motorcycle and set it ablaze. As Nikhil tried to douse the fire with water, Sheru allegedly stopped him, leading to a scuffle between the two, police said.

Amid the escalating dispute, Nikhil allegedly brought two bottles of petrol, poured it on himself near the burning motorcycle, and set himself on fire, they said. He was rushed to the Community Health Centre in Atrauli, where doctors declared him dead.

Circle Officer (CO) of Sandila area, Santosh Singh, said preliminary investigation suggested Sheru was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident.

A forensic team collected samples from the spot, and further investigation is underway, he added.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)