‘Lawyer had instigated Unnao woman to immolate herself’

Lucknow: The distraught woman who set herself ablaze on Vikramaditya Marg had been guided and instigated for the suicidal act by a Unnao-based lawyer, police claimed after arresting the accused on Wednesday night.The accused was identified as 60-year-old Sunil Kumar, a resident of Darogabagh in the Unnao Kotwali area. Sunil had been summoned to Gautampalli police station for questioning and was later arrested.DCP, central zone, Raveena Tyagi, said the victim’s mobile phone had audio recordings of her conversations with Sunil.“The recordings provided key insights into the events leading to her immolation attempt. Sunil Kumar could be heard encouraging the victim to self-immolate and provided guidance on how to carry out the act, from purchasing the inflammable material to selecting the location,” said Tyagi.The woman, Anjali Jatav, suffered 80% burns after immolating herself on Vikramaditya Marg on Tuesday morning and is battling for life at KGMU trauma centre. She also hails from Unnao.“Recordings revealed that Sunil advised Anjali to buy the inflammable substance elsewhere as it was not available in Lucknow and to use a dark-colour container to transport it, suggesting a premeditated plan,” said the DCP.A crucial recording from the phone, dated Aug 6, 2024, at 8.51 am, had the final directive for the woman — proceed with self-immolation. This evidence confirms that Sunil Kumar orchestrated this criminal conspiracy to disrupt law and order, undermine the govt’s image, and incite public outrage against the police and govt.“We have lodged an FIR under the charges of abetment of suicide, giving false evidence, and criminal conspiracy against the accused at the Gautampalli police station,” said the officer.Besides the investigation into phone calls between the victim and Sunil, police are also scanning other evidence to understand the scope of Kumar’s involvement in the case, the DCP said. The police are working to piece together the full picture and ensure those involved are held accountable.Police said Anjali had met the accused lawyer in July. The call recordings between them were from Aug 2 to Aug 6 at odd hours and on the fateful day just before the incident.Anjali, 30, had set herself ablaze, allegedly due to police inaction over her dowry harassment complaints against her husband and in-laws. She had poured petrol on herself after leaving her one-year-old son on the roadside. Passers-by and police intervened, extinguishing the flames and transporting her to the hospital.