Srinagar: The family members of a 26- year-old woman protested in city centre Lal Chowk Saturday alleging their daughter was set ablaze by her in-laws for dowry and in the incident she is said to have received “40 percent” burn injuries.
Police have arrested her husband and father-in-law but her mother-in-law and sister-in-law are still at large.
While giving details of the incident, Muhammad Yasin Sofi, brother of victim, said, “She was subjected to domestic violence by her in-laws who were demanding dowry.” His sister was married for a year now.
“On Thursday night,” Sofi said, “she was beaten ruthlessly by her in-laws. As she got a chance, she phoned us and revealed how she was being beaten up by her in-laws.” Sofi, a resident of Dangerpora village in central Kashmir’s Budgam district, said due to the present turmoil, they were not able to visit her in Namblabal, Pampore.
Instead the family called her another sister, who is also married in Pampore, and asked her to visit the victim.
“It was late Thursday evening and she decided to visit her next morning. And when she went there, she too was beaten and not allowed to go inside,” said Sofi, who after receiving a call from that sister drove straight to see her.
Sofi, only brother among five sisters, was received with wails and cries outside his sister’s house.
“I was not allowed to go inside from gate but I just got mad hearing her cries and I don’t know how I broke that barrier and went inside.” After stepping in, he said, “I saw her mother-in-law and sister-in-law were holding my sister and her husband set her on fire. When she saw us, she came running towards us and we put off our clothes to extinguish that fire.”
The victim was later taken to district hospital Pampore from where she was referred to SMHS hospital in Srinagar, where she is presently undergoing treatment. Dr Nazir Chowdhary, MS SMHS hospital told Kashmir Life that the victim has received 35 to 40 percent burn injuries.
The concerned station officer has registered a case in the incident under FIR number 89/2016 under sections 498A, 354, 306/511 of RPC. They have also carried out searches to arrest the absconding mother-in-law and sister-in-law.
Pertinently, Sofi’s sister was facing torture earlier as well.
“Six months back her husband beat her up in similar fashion and that time she was pregnant. Due to one such blow she lost her child. It was only after the intervention of elders of locality that she was sent back to her in-laws,” says Sofi. “Her mother-in-law has two sons and their eldest daughter-in-law, having two children, is living at her parental house from last four years now.”
With Inputs From Kashmir Life