A woman and her four-year-old son were reportedly burnt to death in Notungeet village in West Bengal's Birbhum district on Friday by some unknown people.
The victims have been identified as Rumpa Bibi (30) and her younger son Ayan Sheikh (4). The woman's husband Sheikh Tuta (40) has been admitted to a local hospital with critical burn injuries.
The survivor in the family and the elder son of the couple Sheikh Raj, who was sleeping in another room when the incident took place, told media persons that he woke up early Friday morning to the screaming of her mother.
According to him, the room where his parents and younger brother were sleeping had the roadside windows open. "They were trapped in a fire and a strong smell of kerosene was emitting from the room. It seemed that some miscreants from outside sprinkled kerosene in the room through the open window and then had set fire," he said.
The local people rushed to the spot and somehow brought the couple and the minor son out of the room and quickly shifted them to Bolpur sub-divisional hospital and then to Burdwan Medical College & Hospital.
The minor son died within minutes after being shifted to the hospital and soon after his mother followed. The father is under treatment now though his condition is extremely critical.
Meanwhile, the entire village was tense and in panic over the horrific incident. The police have started an investigation into the matter to track whether any personal rivalry was involved in the mishap.
(With inputs from IANS)
