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Jodhpur woman sets herself, daughter afire; note alleges dowry harassment
The woman married the accused 12 years ago, and they gave a car, along with other valuables, in dowry. But, she allegedly faced continuous harassment.
A 32-year-old school teacher and her three-year-old daughter died on Monday, days after the former allegedly set herself and the child afire and left a note accusing her husband and in-laws of harassment in Jodhpur district of Rajasthan in a suspected case of suicide, police said on Monday, adding that the woman’s husband and three others have been booked.
Police said the incident took place on August 22 at the woman’s residence in Sarnada Ki Dhani area, and while the three-year-old girl died on the spot, the woman — a government school teacher —succumbed to her burn injuries on Saturday morning at Mahatma Gandhi Hospital in the district.
According to the complaint filed by the victim’s father, the woman married the accused 12 years ago, and they gave a car, along with other valuables, in dowry. But, she faced continuous harassment. The situation reportedly worsened after the birth of their daughter, the complaint said.
“On August 22, she returned from school and set herself and her daughter on fire. The child succumbed to her injuries at the scene, while the woman was admitted to Mahatma Gandhi Hospital with severe burn injuries and died the next day,” it added.
Confirming the incident, assistant commissioner of police (Mandore) Nagendra Kumar said: “A note, found during the probe, detailed serious allegations of harassment by the deceased’s husband and her in-laws. The woman mentioned the alleged torture as the reason for taking her own life and that of her daughter. The police have seized the deceased’s mobile phone and sent it to Forensic Science Laboratory.”
Police recovered a suspected can of petrol from the scene of crime. “No signs of a struggle were found, and the house was locked from the inside,” said an officer.
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