Man sets wife on fire for dowry

INDORE: A 24-year-old woman who was married under the chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s pet project, ‘Mukhyamantri Kanyadan Yojana’, in Indore in May this year was burnt to death by her husband Raju Lahiri, for dowry. The incident took place in Katkatpura area of the city on October 31 and she succumbed to burns at a city hospital on Tuesday.
Sapna, who was among several girls married at the mass marriage ceremony, had sustained 90% burns.
Lahiri, 30, who works at a hardware shop, had reportedly demanded money from her for liquor and on denial he set Sapna ablaze.
Before pouring kerosene over her and setting her ablaze, Raju had brutally beaten up Sapna up and tied her hands backwards and stuffed a scarf in her mouth to gag her.
As critically injured Sapna cried for help, Raju locked her inside the room and went away. It was 15 minutes, later when neighbours who saw smoke billowing out of the Lahiri couple’s room opened the door locked from outside and rushed badly burnt Sapna to the hospital.
Sapna’s mother Narmada Bai, a resident of Rustam ka Bag-MIG area of Indore, recounted how she had married Sapna with Raju at the mass marriage solemnized under the CM’s ambitious scheme in May 2013.
Since marriage, Sapna was tortured by Raju for dowry. Unable to bear the sustained torture, Sapna had returned to her mother’s house two weeks ago and went back to Raju on October 31 after Raju promised to Sapna’s family not to torture her again.
According to Rawji Bazar police station in charge Arvind Singh Tomar, “Raju was arrested on the night of October 31. Now he has been booked under Section 302 of IPC for murder and dowry death (Section 304B of IPC), he added.