Miscreants set shanties ablaze, 2 sustain injuries

In a shocking incident at Akkanwali village, a 21-year-old migrant woman, Asha, and a four-year-old girl, Sandhya, sustained severe burn injuries after their shanties were set on fire by miscreants.

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Asha, who works at Bhud inter-state barrier, was allegedly harassed by a youth and his friends while returning home around 5:15 pm. The youth, who had been misbehaving with her for days, threatened to burn her shanty if she didn’t comply with his demands. Tragically, his threat turned real when Asha’s shanty was set ablaze while she was asleep. She saw the same youth fleeing as she escaped with injuries.

The fire, fueled by petrol, spread rapidly to 11 nearby shanties, leaving many homeless. Fire tenders were rushed to douse the flames, and forensic experts visited the site to confirm arson.

Asha and Sandhya were taken to Baddi Civil Hospital, but Sandhya was later referred to PGI Chandigarh due to critical injuries. Baddi ASP Ashok Verma confirmed the arrest of one accused while a search is on for others involved.