19-yr-old newlywed burnt to death for dowry in Panchkula
Father says she called him up 15 days back to complain that she was being harassed by her husband and in-laws for dowry
A 19-year-old woman was allegedly burnt to death on failing to meet the dowry demand of her husband and in-laws at Bataur village in Barwala, about 20km from Panchkula district headquarters, police said on Tuesday.
The incident comes just four days after another murder for dowry in the neighbouring Chandigarh, wherein a 24-year-old woman was thrashed by her husband and mother-in-law and hanged to death after she fell unconscious.
The victim in the present case has been identified as Komal, who belonged to Karnal and got married to Ravinder, a resident of Bataur, in June this year.
Komal’s father Sukhbir Singh, 42, who is a daily wager, told police that the couple got engaged last year, but later Ravinder’s family started demanding a hefty dowry. Sukhbir reportedly told them that he could not afford it and called off the wedding.
On June 3, when Sukhbir and his wife had gone to a relative’s place in Ambala, Komal allegedly eloped with Ravinder. After the two got married in a temple, both families reached a compromise at the Nisang village police station in Karnal, said Barwala police post in-charge assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Rishi Pal.
Sukhbir told police that Komal had called him 15 days back to complain that she was being harassed by her husband and in-laws for dowry. “Sukhbir told her that he would try to make whatever arrangements he could,” said the ASI.
However, on Monday, one of Sukhbir’s relatives received a call from the Karnal police station, informing them that Komal had been burnt and was shifted to the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, for treatment. When Komal’s family reached the Barwala police post, they were told that she had succumbed to her burn injuries.
On Sukbir’s complaint, Ravinder, his father Ramnath and brother Shallu were booked under Sections 304B (dowry death) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code at the Chandimandir police station.