Boy, girl set themselves on fire on Palam Vihar road

GURGAON: Two fresh graduates, a boy and a girl, met in the Palam Vihar area of Gurgaon on Tuesday afternoon and set themselves on fire in full public view after a brief conversation.
“The duo started to scream after they set themselves on fire. The boy rushed to a water tank and the girl started banging on a door, shouting for help. It was a horrifying scene,” said an eyewitness.
The duo was rushed to a private hospital in the city with around 50% burns and, from there, referred to Safdurjung hospital in Delhi, where they were reported to be critical. Both were students of a government college in Gurgaon for the last three years and were friends, police sources said.
But cops as well as the families of both victims were tightlipped on what led them to attempt suicide. Police said neither victim was in a condition to give a statement. “The two studied together and are reportedly in a relationship,” said inspector Sandeep Kumar, the SHO of Palam Vihar police station when asked if the cops suspected a suicide pact.
The boy, who is 21, lives in Sarai Alawardi village and had completed his BSc this year. His father is a businessman. The girl, 20, has completed her BCom and lives in Sector 10. She is the daughter of a government employee, police source said.
Police said the boy arrived at Palam Vihar’s F block around 1.30pm in a white Scorpio, which he parked in front of a private school. The girl arrived at the same spot in a Scooty.
According to eyewitness accounts, the duo spoke briefly before the boy pulled out a can of petrol, poured it on both of them and set themselves on fire. In panic, they rushed towards a construction site and boy jumped into a makeshift water tank. Passersby covered the girl with wet cloth and sacks to put out the flames rushed both to hospital.
There were burn marks on the Scorpio, too. “We found the car and the Scooty parked there. We are waiting to record their statements,” said inspector Sandeep Kumar.