A 20-year-old Muslim woman succumbed to serious burn injuries at the Patna Medical College Hospital on Sunday two weeks after she was allegedly set on fire by three men in Rasoolpur Habib village of Vaishali district in Bihar. The victim’s mother reported that the trio forced her daughter to agree to their marriage proposal. The victim reportedly told them she was a Muslim and cannot accept their demands, Clarion India reported.
The victim’s mother narrated that they poured kerosene oil on her daughter and set her on fire which left her with burn injuries. She was rushed to Samprabhu Hospital in Hajipur, the main town of the district. The police reached the hospital a few hours later and recorded the complaint made by the deceased at 10 pm.
According to the complaint, three cousins Satish Kumar, Chandan Kumar and Vinay Kumar approached the woman while she was standing near a dustbin and tried to harass her. When she resisted, one of the three took out a kerosene bottle from his pocket and poured on the woman. Then they set her ablaze, using a matchstick.
Caught in fire, the woman started crying and screaming which caught the attention of passersby but the three miscreants fled the scene. The crowd smothered the flames and took the woman to the hospital.
Meanwhile, the family has been demanding strict punishment against the accused. Shortly after the woman was declared dead at Patna medical college hospital, the family members came out with the body on the road in Patna and started protesting. Social media is splattered with images of the victim as netizens have been raising their voice for justice.
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Rushda Fathima Khan is the Staff Reporter for The Cognate.
