Dehradun: A local taxi driver identified as Manoj Singh has been arrested for allegedly setting an 18-year-old girl on fire in Pauri district. The girl is admitted in AIIMS Rishikesh with 80% burn injuries and is said to be in an “extremely critical” condition.Singh, 31, had been allegedly stalking the girl for past few months and was upset after she rejected his advances. On Sunday afternoon, Singh accosted the BSc second year student near a forest while she was on her way home from college on her two-wheeler. He allegedly doused petrol on her and set her on fire.Singh, a resident of Gahad village, was arrested from his house late on Sunday evening.SSP Pauri Jagat Ram Joshi told TOI, “Our team raided the residence of the accused and arrested him. The man, who is already married, told us that he was upset that the girl had refused his proposal for a relationship. The two-wheeler the girl was on as well as the bottle of petrol was found from the spot.”Joshi said that the girl was in an “extremely critical” condition.Meanwhile, local residents terming it a “heinous crime” staged a protest on Monday demanding death penalty for the accused. The girl’s mother said that she had told the family about a taxi driver following her but no one had expected that he would take such an extreme step.

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