A 15-year-old girl in Uttar Pradesh’s Mirzapur district who had set herself on fire two days ago after failing to stop frequent molestation by a neighbourhood boy died on Monday night.

“The accused used to molest my daughter on her way to school or coaching. We had submitted a formal complaint with the police last month but no action was taken as the accused belongs to the family of an affluent landlord,” the grandfather of the girl told reporters in Newariya village on Tuesday. The girl belonged to a family of marginal farmers.

“We saw flames at the door of her room and rushed to save her. She was engulfed in flames. We wrapped her in a blanket and rushed her to the divisional hospital,” her father said. “She had been crying on Saturday evening and told us that the accused didn’t want her to study and used to molest and misbehave with her.”

Harish Chandra Saroj, the station house in-charge of Lalganj, said: “We had not received any complaint from the parents of the girl in the past. The police arrested the accused on Sunday and sent him to jail.”

The name of the accused is being withheld as he is a minor.

Sanjay Rai, the in-charge of the local police outpost, said: “It is a case of doubtful self-immolation. We are probing all aspects.”