Teen student sets himself on fire after he was teased for being gay
A top student has suffered severe burns after he was bullied for being gay.
A talented student has set himself on fire after being repeatedly teased for being gay.
The teenager – who received top marks in his school exams last year – set himself alight after he locked himself in his room for two days.
The 15-year-old ran screaming in pain and engulfed in flames, after dousing himself in diesel and setting himself one fire in an apparent suicide attempt on Sunday (January 3).
Neighbours and family members in the Indian city of Agra, attempted to put out the flames by quickly pouring water over him and wrapping him up in a blanket.
He was then rushed to hospital, where it was discovered he had sustained 40% burns on his legs and chest.
“He is unable to speak properly. The doctors say he is out of danger but I will only believe it when my son will talk to me,” the boy’s father told The Times of India.
The father explained that his son had taken the drastic action after he had been seen engaging in a sex act with a male friend in a nearby park.
“The news spread and a some people started teasing and harassing him,” his father told reporters.
A Congressman in India recently launched a petition to try and build public support for a campaign to decriminalise gay sex in the country.
Activists have been battling to remove Section 377, the country’s colonial-era anti-gay law, which was reinstated by the Supreme Court in 2013.
However, the cause suffered a blow last month when a bill that would have repealed the banwas overwhelmingly voted down, by 71 votes to 24.
Having failed to persuade his colleagues, Congressman Shashi Tharoor is now appealing directly to the public to build support, launching a new petition in an attempt to do so.
