A woman has died after her husband allegedly poured petrol over her and set her on fire while she was sleeping. The incident happened in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, India, late on Sunday night.
Victim suffered 90% burns
The woman, identified as Kamla, suffered burns to around 90% of her body and was rushed to hospital in a critical condition by her husband and other family members. She was later transferred to another hospital but died from her injuries early on Tuesday morning.
Police said Kamla had been sleeping outside her home alongside her husband, Prakash, when the incident occurred. Their two young children, aged four and one-and-a-half, were sleeping with their grandparents at the time.
Inconsistencies in initial account
Prakash initially told police that his wife had set herself on fire. However, officers became suspicious and visited the scene to collect evidence. Their investigation found that only the couple's bedding had been burned, despite Prakash having been sleeping alongside his wife. Officers said they would have expected both to suffer burns if events had happened as initially described.
Family alleges dowry harassment
Kamla's family have made serious allegations against her husband. Her brother alleged that Prakash poured petrol over Kamla and deliberately set her on fire. He also claimed other members of her husband's family were involved in an alleged conspiracy.
The family further alleged that Kamla had suffered harassment over dowry demands following her marriage nine years ago and that her husband had assaulted her.
Murder case registered
Police have registered a murder case and detained Prakash for questioning. Investigators are also looking into the alleged involvement of other family members as they work to establish exactly what happened.
