The boy had suffered nearly 40 percent burn injuries.
A seven-year-old boy who was sexually assaulted and set on fire, allegedly by three teenagers in Maharashtra's Thane district earlier this month, died in hospital yesterday.
The boy had suffered nearly 40 percent burn injuries.
"We performed his last rites today. My child couldn't be saved, now my only hope is that the culprits are punished and we get justice," the child's father, a power-loom worker, told NDTV.
The three young men who were arrested for assaulting the boy will now be charged with murder, said Sudhir Dabhade, a senior police officer.
The men, who are 18, allegedly kidnapped the child when he went to eat at a langar, or communal feast, organised by a temple. Police said that on April 3, the boy had a dispute with the teens over a game of cricket. A day later, the three found him at the langar, allegedly took him to an isolated room, sexually assaulted him and set him on fire.
"Doctors told us he was showing signs of improvement but with 40 percent burn injuries and injuries to his chest and private parts, his chances of survival were low," Senior Police Inspector NT Rode told NDTV.
The three accused had earlier been booked for kidnapping, unnatural sex and wrongful confinement. They were also charged under the stringent Protection of Children against Sexual Offences Act.