18-Month-Old Baby Dies From Burns After Dad Sets Ablaze Family Of 8

A toddler in India died Thursday, two weeks after she was set ablaze by her father following a property dispute.

On Jan. 28, the man identified as Gulfam set his six children, wife, and himself on fire in an under-construction building in Lucknow, a city in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, Outlook India reported.

Passersby rushed to the scene after hearing the screams of the family and attempted to douse the fire. One of them informed the police following which officers arrived at the spot and immediately extinguished the blaze. One of the officers sustained burn injuries while attempting to extinguish the blaze, the outlet reported.

The victims were rushed to a local hospital for treatment and were then transported to a bigger hospital in the city for further treatment.

Gulfam’s five-year-old daughter, Chand Tara, and seven-year-old daughter, Moina, succumbed to burn injuries earlier this month while being treated at the hospital. On Thursday, the man’s one-and-a-half-year-old, Sitara, also succumbed to burn injuries.

"Sitara (18 months old) succumbed to wounds during treatment on Thursday at KGMU in Lucknow. Earlier, Chand Tara (5) and Moina (7) passed away while receiving treatment at KGMU. Further investigations are underway in this regard," a police officer told local daily the Times of India.

The other victims, who have suffered 10-15% burns, remained in hospital as of Thursday. They were reported to be in a stable condition.

Gulfam was reportedly the caretaker of a graveyard. He accused a man identified as Vijay Soni of illegally taking over a major portion of the graveyard land and building concrete structures on it. Unable to save the land, the man decided to take the extreme step.

Police said a case of abetment to suicide has already been registered in connection with the incident.

In a similar incident in India, a man killed his three minor daughters and himself after his wife gave birth to another girl child. Rasik Solanki, 35, killed his daughters by pushing them into a well and then hanged himself outside his home. Investigation revealed the man had financial difficulties and was upset after his wife delivered a fourth girl. The woman and the newborn baby were at the former's parents house when the incident took place.