Violence against women: Woman set on fire ‘by husband, in-laws’ critical

Suspects say she tried to commit suicide.

Doctors treating the woman at the Allied Hospital said she had 60 per cent burns and in no condition to record a statement. PHOTO: FILE

FAISALABAD:


A woman was in critical condition on Thursday after she was allegedly set on fire by her husband and his mother and sister. The in-laws said she had tried to commit suicide.


A case has been registered at the Ghulam Muhammadabad police station but no one has been arrested.

Police said they were waiting for the medico-legal report.

The woman’s father, the complainant in the case, said that Najamus Sahar, 25, married Imran Raza, a resident of Bhutto Chowk in Jameel Town, five years ago. He said they didn’t get along quite well and quarrelled frequently. He said they had two children, a two-year-old boy and a year-old girl.

He said that Raza had been abusive towards Sahar and often beat her up. He said Raza’s parents, too, didn’t like her and would exaggerate which gave way to a lot of confusion between him and Sahar. He said a few months ago, Sahar had left her in-laws and started living with her parents. He said Raza had threatened to divorce her, but his friends and some cousins had asked him to reconsider and reconciled with her and taken her home.

On Thursday afternoon, he said, Raza had called him and told him that Sahar had set herself on fire.


Not believing his son-in-law, he told police he was certain that she had been set on fire by him, his mother Sarwari Bibi and sister Masooma Bibi.

Doctors treating the woman at the Allied Hospital said she had 60 per cent burns and in no condition to record a statement. They said her condition was critical.

Dr Iftikhar Ahmad, the emergency ward in charge, said that Sahar’s face, shoulders, chest and belly had been burned. He said she was in the intensive care unit.

Some neighbours had heard Sahar shout for help.

One of them said, “We thought Raza was beating her up again.”

A few minutes later, they said, they saw the family carry her to the hospital.

He said when some neighbours, who had gathered outside the house, asked the family what had happened, they were told she had tried to commit suicide.

The station house officer said police were keeping an eye of the suspects. Asked when the nominated suspects would be arrested, the SHO said, the decision would be taken after the medico-legal report was received.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 21st, 2013.
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