A young couple were saved by police from a mob who tried to lynch them and later immolate the man after their car ran over a child killing him on the spot at Tisri in Jharkhand’s Giridih district on Thursday evening.

According to police, Kaushik Thandar and Sangeeta Thandar were going to attend the marriage of their relative in Biharsharif (in Bihar) in their Ford Titanium car. When the car reached Giridih Main Road near the Sigha Mohan roundabout under Gawan block, a boy suddenly ran into the road and Kaushik could not stop the car from hitting the child though he applied the brakes.

Giridih-based social worker P.K. Minral said: “Seven-year-old Sourav suddenly ran into the road and came under the vehicle and died on the spot. An irate mob gheraoed the car and forcibly took out the couple and started assaulting Kaushik without heeding to his wife’s pleas.

“Suddenly one person from the crowd doused Kaushik in petrol and threatened to set him ablaze in anger against the death of the child. Fortunately, some locals informed the police who reached the site on time and rescued the couple. The police doused the flames and took the couple to hospital.”

Tisri police station in-charge Piku Kumar claimed that Kaushik’s condition is stable.

The couple’s car at Tisri police station in Giridih Bhola Prasad

“The mob was demanding compensation for the death of the child and some mischievous elements had put petrol on the man and tried to set him ablaze. We reached the spot and doused the flames. We rushed the couple to Giridih Sadar Hospital.

“Doctors said the man has sustained 40 per cent burn injuries but his condition is stable. The woman was not injured though she is in trauma and is also admitted in the hospital,” said Kumar.

Locals claimed that Kaushik had fled from the spot after the mishap.

After realising that the child might have suffered serious injuries or might have died, he returned with his vehicle and had to face the mob fury.

Giridih superintendent of police Amit Renu said separate cases have been registered by the parents of the deceased child and the couple from Bengal.

“While the couple from Bengal have lodged a case against unidentified persons, including parents of the deceased boy, for assaulting and trying to torch them, the child’s parents have lodged a case against the couple for reckless driving leading to death. We have not arrested anybody in the case so far but would be arresting the culprits involved in assaulting the couple soon,” Renu said.

Tisri is around 190km from state capital Ranchi.