Woman tries to immolate self at police commissioner’s office

A 28-year-old woman allegedly tried to immolate herself at the police commissioner’s office on Thursday afternoon, after alleging that the police were not arresting her partner against whom she had filed a rape complaint earlier this week.

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The police said the woman was rescued and did not suffer any injuries. She was taken into custody and booked under sections 309 (attempt to commit suicide) and 190 (threat of injury to induce person to refrain from applying for protection to public servant) of the Indian Penal Code(IPC) at the Civil Lines police station.

According to the police, the incident took place around 2pm when the woman, who worked as a patient care attendant, had gone to the police commissioner’s office to discuss her concerns. The police said she sat down in the waiting area on the second floor, where the office of police commissioner is located, before suddenly rushing towards the entrance/exit gate.

She was carrying petrol in a soft drink bottle, wrapped around a newspaper. She took out the petrol and after pouring it on herself, she ran towards the ground floor, the police said

Subhash Boken, spokesperson, city police, said, “Several women police officials noticed the commotion and ran after her. She was rescued before she could take out the matchstick from a packet and took her into custody.”

An eyewitness, who was standing near the woman a few seconds before the incident, told media persons, “She entered the gate on the second floor and was wailing. She said police did not conduct a fair investigation in her case and that the SHO concerned had rebuked her. She complained she was running from one police station to another. A woman police official asked her to sit but she resisted and suddenly ran towards the gate. She took petrol out of a bottle and poured it on her. I tried running after her but could not since I am old.”

The eyewitness said the police officials took the woman to a washroom and got her changed. After over 20 minutes, she was whisked away from the premises.

The police said they had conducted a fair investigation. Usha Kundu, assistant commissioner of police (ACP), crime against women, said, “She had filed a divorce case against her husband in 2017, which is sub-judice. This was her third suicide attempt this year. In February, a man was arrested for allegedly raping her in DLF Phase-3 area and that case is also sub-judice. A few months later, she moved in with a man in Sector 7 after they got married at a temple in September. Since then, she and her partner had filed four complaints against each other at several police stations in the city and one complaint in Delhi. But they had reached a compromise with mutual understanding in all the cases and refused further probe.”

The police said earlier this week, her partner filed an FIR against her, alleging she had extorted money from him and harassed him by marrying without getting a divorce.

“She also later lodged a complaint, alleging he had raped her. On her complaint, we registered an FIR under Section 376 (rape) of IPC at women police station, Sector 51, on October 3. In both these FIRs, investigation is on. The woman has been booked under sections 309 and 190 IPC today and in such cases, we take the assistance of a counsellor. That process and further investigation have started,” said ACP Kundu.