A woman and her six-year-old son were burnt to death while her husband was seriously injured in a fire in their house in West Bengal's Birbhum district on Friday, police said.

The incident took place in Rajakpur village near Bolpur in the early hours when Rupa Bibi, aged around 30 years, and her son Ayan Sheikh, along with her husband Abdul Alim were sleeping inside their single storey house, he said.

Alim, who is under treatment at Burdwan Medical College and Hospital, claimed that he had woken up and spotted someone throwing a blazing stick through an open window of the room they were sleeping in and the flames spread quickly, the officer said.

Hearing their screams, the neighbours doused the blaze and brought out the three persons who were trapped inside. While the woman and her son were declared brought dead by doctors at Bolpur hospital, Alim was referred to Bardhaman for better treatment.

Alim was not associated with any political party but ran a business in the locality, he said, ruling out any political angle in the incident.

However, investigation is underway to find out whether Alim had any business rival, the officer said.

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