A seven-year-old girl from Karnataka died on November 11 after she set herself ablaze in an imitation of an act in a Kannada television serial, The Times of India reported on Wednesday. The incident took place in Davanagere district’s Harihar town.

Though the girl died on November 11, the incident came to light only after her parents reported it to the police on Wednesday. According to News18, the serial the girl was watching was Nandini, in which a character set herself on fire and struggled to douse it. The child also set herself ablaze watching the act, the channel reported quoting unidentified police officials.

The girl’s mother Chaitra told The Times of India that she filed a complaint because she wanted other parents to be careful. “We have lost our daughter but we want other parents to be cautious,” she said. “Please do not make children sit along with you and watch serials.”

“It is sad that such an incident has happened,” former Karnataka Television Association President Ravi Kiran told the daily. “We usually put disclaimers in each episode of TV serials but these have no effect. The makers of these serials do not have any bad intentions. Some elements are introduced to make the plot more engaging and gripping.”

VS Ugrappa, chairperson of the state committee on safety of women and children, said there was a need to conduct more awareness programmes for parents and children on television content.