Chennai: Boy dies trying fire-breathing stunt

CHENNAI: A Class X student died on Thursday night when a stunt he was trying to pull off in front of his house in Iyancherry went awry, leaving him with severe burns.

Without knowing the technique like a professional, 16-year-old Jebin John attempted a fire-breathing trick by spitting a mouthful of kerosene at a burning candle, police said. The blowback from the flame set the boy’s clothes on fire, a police officer said.

Neighbours rushed Jebin to Chengalpet Government Hospital from his house in Iyancherry near Guduvancherry, but he died of burns, he said.

Jebin, who attended a private school in Chetpet, was alone at his house preparing for his quarterly examination when he tried the stunt, the officer added.

Investigators confirmed that none of Jebin’s frinds were present at the time. They are probing if someone “instructed” him to try the trick. “If that is not the case, we can only assume that he was inspired by professional firebreathers, particularly those who perform at religious gatherings,” the officer said. The boy failed to take precautions. Some of thekerosene spilled on his clothes and acted as an accelerant, he said.

When they heard Jebin screaming in pain, several neighbours rushed to his rescue. Some of them poured water on him to douse the flame and draped him in blankets; others called for an ambulance and alerted police.

A team of the Guduvancherry police arrived at the spot. “The boy was taken to Chengalpet Government Hospital but he died without responding to treatment,” the officer said.

Based on a complaint from the boy’s father, John Wilson, 43, the manager at a star hotel in Meenambakkam, police registered a case under CrPC Section 174 (unnatural death). Jebin’s mother is a school teacher in Semmancherry.

Police are doing their bit to create awareness so children would not attempt risky stunts, but activists and civil society groups should also pitch in, another officer said.

Schools also should conduct campaigns in this regard, he said.



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