Punjab: Constable’s wife set afire by her 80-year-old father-in-law, dies

“In the afternoon, I was alone in the courtyard of the house, when he came, poured petrol and set me afire,” the woman had told police in a statement before she died.

Police have booked an 80-year-old man for allegedly setting his daughter-in-law afire at Punjab’s Burj Poohla village, 30 km from the district headquarters of Tarn Taran.

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Harjinder Kaur, 45, wife of a constable with the Indian Reserve Battalion police, received 85% burns and succumbed to her injuries at an Amritsar hospital on Thursday.

In her statement at the Patti civil hospital, the victim said her husband Gursahib Singh is posted in Amritsar and she had been living with her father-in-law Arjun Singh and two children.

On Wednesday morning, a minor quarrel ensued between her and the accused over some domestic issue. “In the afternoon, I was alone in the courtyard of the house, when he came, poured petrol and set me afire,” the woman said.

The victim fell unconscious and was rushed to hospital by the neighbours.

Owing to her severe burn injuries, the doctors referred her to an Amritsar hospital, said Harike police station sub-inspector Surinderpal Singh.

“We have added Section 302 (punishment for murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in the case against the accused, who is absconding,” he said.