Two men set on fire the wife of one of their friends when they were refused money to purchase liquor in Sitamarhi district of Bihar, where the sale and consumption of alcohol had been banned more than a year ago.
The incident took place on Friday evening at Shivnagar village in Runni Saidpur police station area, 27 km south of Sitamarhi town and 110 km north of state capital Patna.
The woman, identified as Alka Mishra, 30, succumbed to her burn injuries at Sri Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH), Muzaffarpur, 40 km away. SKMCH superintendent Dr GK Thakur said Mishra was brought to the hospital with 90% burn injuries. “She died before we could start the treatment,” he said.
Muzaffarpur deputy superintendent of police (city) Ashish Anand said sub inspector of SKMCH police picket Ravindra Kumar had recorded the statement of Mishra before she died.
“In her statement, Mishra accused BS Giri and Amit Giri, both friends of her husband, of setting her on fire after poring kerosene ,” Anand said.
“BS Giri and Amit Giri, residents of same village, came to our house on Friday noon and asked for some money from my husband to buy liquor. But, my husband refused to pay them the money. They returned in the evening when my husband had gone out for some household work, set me on fire after pouring kerosene and fled,” Anand quoted Mishra as saying in the statement.
{{/usCountry}}“BS Giri and Amit Giri, residents of same village, came to our house on Friday noon and asked for some money from my husband to buy liquor. But, my husband refused to pay them the money. They returned in the evening when my husband had gone out for some household work, set me on fire after pouring kerosene and fled,” Anand quoted Mishra as saying in the statement.
{{/usCountry}}The DSP said the copy of her statement would be sent to Runni Saidpur police station for further legal action.
Victim’s husband Rajiv Mishra said he had been working as a taxi driver in Mumbai for the last four years. “I had come to my native place nearly a month ago along with my wife and daughter. On Friday, when I returned home after making some purchases from a nearby shop, I found my wife in flames. I, somehow managed to douse the fire and took her to SKMCH for treatment,” he said.
Bihar became a dry state on April 5, last year. Consuming, keeping or dealing in liquor is an offence under the state’s new excise prohibition law, which provides for imprisonment up to 10 years.