Palanpur: A man allegedly burned his two-and-a-half-year-old son alive after dousing him with petrol at Suigam in Vav-Tharad district, before burying the body at a cremation ground in an attempt to destroy evidence, police said.The killing came to light after the accused’s uncle lodged a complaint with Suigam police. The accused, Ashok Raval, allegedly considered raising his son, Navghan, a burden, as his wife had been living separately for some time.According to the complaint filed by Babu Raval, a resident of Ravalvas in Suigam, Ashok had married a woman from Himmatnagar. She had been living separately, leaving him to care for their young son alone. With no one to look after the child, Ashok found the responsibility of raising him increasingly difficult.On Oct 13, between 1pm and 2pm, Ashok allegedly poured petrol on Navghan and set him on fire. He later took the toddler to a hospital, where the child died.To conceal the circumstances of the death, Ashok, along with family members, buried the child’s body at the community burial ground rather than allowing the cause of death to come to light.Babu later learnt about the matter and approached Suigam police, filing a complaint against his nephew.Police conducted an excavation at the burial ground in the presence of officials, including the mamlatdar, and exhumed the child’s body for further investigation.Suigam police registered a case against Ashok for murder and causing disappearance of evidence.
