A 15-year-old boy was allegedly stabbed by his uncle after he refused to light a cigarette for him. The accused was identified as A Manikandan. The incident took place on Saturday night at Bajanaikovil street in Ramanathapuram.

The victim was identified as Yogesh. Yogesh is the son of Manikandan’s younger sister. The 43-year-old works as a car driver.

Yogesh’s mother was identified as Krishnamani. Krishnamani resides in Market Road at Irugur. He had come to his uncle’s residence a few days ago.

On Saturday, Manikandan asked Yogesh to light his cigarette. Yogesh allegedly refused to light the cigarette and scolded Manikandan for asking him to do the same.

Angry over Yogesh’s response, Manikandan allegedly stabbed him in the abdomen. Following this, Yogesh was taken to the Coimbatore Medical College and Hospital (CMCH) where treatment is being provided to him. Yogesh is said to be in a stable condition.

Based on the complaint filed by the victim’s father, the police registered a case against the accused. He was arrested on Sunday and was booked under section 294 (b) (utters any obscene words in a public place), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means) and 506 (2) (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The accused has been remanded under judicial custody.

This is not the first time where a person has been attacked over a petty issue. In the past as well, there have been several such instances. In Bengaluru, a student and his brother were stabbed as they were talking loudly in a “Bihari” dialect on the phone. The accused was identified as Manjunath Valmiki.