Hyderabad, Nov 3(NDTV): An army jawan who was questioned on the burning of an 11-year-old boy within a military garrison in Hyderabad last month allegedly committed suicide this morning.

The jawan, Appalaraju, shot himself with his duty weapon and died immediately, say the police.

He was one of the army men questioned on the killing of Syed Mustafa, who died of 90 per cent burns after being set on fire on October 9.

Before dying, the police said, the boy told a magistrate that some "military men" burnt him. A special inquiry team was set up to investigate the incident, which had led to angry protests and forced the riot police to step in.

Mustafa lived with his parents, three brothers and a sister in Siddiq Nagar within the garrison in Mehdipatnam, which is a restricted area and allows visitors only with special passes.

The police say kerosene was poured on the boy and he was set on fire. A soft drink bottle with traces of kerosene and matches were found at the spot. Nearly a month after the incident, the police say it is not clear why the boy was killed.

The army had strongly denied the involvement of its personnel, claiming that their men shared a very good rapport with some 200 families who stay within the campus.

"On investigation, it is found that the allegation is absolutely false and no army personnel is involved in this incident. The army condemns this act," an army statement had said.