7-year-old girl sets herself on fire while imitating Kannada TV scene

NEW DELHI: In a tragic incident, a seven-year-old girl set herself on fire while imitating a fire-dance scene in a Kannada television show. The incident occurred on November 11 in Davanagere district's Harihara town but came to light on Wednesday. The child died due to severe burn injuries. The victim was identified as Prarthana, a class 2 student. Chaitra, the girl's mother, told TOI that Prarthana used to watch two serials regularly. In one of the shows, the lead character was seen dancing on fire. Chaitra believed that her daughter might have tried to imitate the scene when alone at home. Prarthana reportedly threw a few papers around her and set them on fire, which later engulfed her. Chaitra told TOI, "We had advised her and warned her several times not to sit in front of the television. But there are times when she dodged us and went to our relatives house to watch teleserials. We have lost our daughter but we want other parents to be cautious. Please do not make children sit along with you and watch serials." Several Kannada Television artistes have reportedly expressed their condolences to the bereaved family.