Burning of woman: Accused, a live-in partner, married victim after counselling

The attack on her took place at 11.30 on Tuesday night at Manimajra. (Source: Google Maps)

The 27-YEAR-OLD woman who was set on fire at Manimajra allegedly by her husband, had got married to the accused after counselling by the police. Amrita, the victim, and Gurvinder Singh, the accused, had been in a live-in relationship for about 18 months. Recently, she had told him that they should get married, but he refused.

Amrita then gave a complaint to the police, who counselled Gurvinder to marry her. The victim runs a door-to-door beautician service, while the accused is a taxi driver. “Gurvinder and I have known each other for the past many years and for the last one-and-a-half year, we had been living together at Manimajra. Fifteen days back, I asked Gurvinder to get married. But he said no. It’s then that I got to know that he was leaving India and moving abroad. Then I contacted the police,” Amrita told Chandigarh Newsline.

She is recovering from her injuries at PGIMER. Doctors said she had 45 per cent burn injuries. Her left ear, face and arm have suffered burn injuries. Her aunt was by her side in the hospital. “I need financial help for my treatment. I have no one to help me. I am going to write to the Prime Minister to help me,” she said. Her father is no more, and her 65-year-old mother is unwell, Amrita said. She said she had no siblings after her brother’s death. The family of Gurvinder lives at Dhakoli, Zirakpur, while the couple lived at Manimajra, she added.

Amrita gave a complaint at the public window in Police Headquarters, Sector 9, that Gurvinder who was living with her refused to marry her and was also reportedly moving to Malaysia. “Following this, we called the accused to the police station and asked him to marry her as they had been living together earlier,” said Harminder Singh, Manimajra SHO. The two got married at Mansa Devi temple.

The attack on her took place at 11.30 on Tuesday night at Manimajra. In her statement to the police, she said there were two persons on the motorcyle, one wearing a helmet, and other whose face was covered with a handkerchief. She blamed her husband for the attack. “As I was getting off from the scooter, the motorcycle came close. They threw kerosene on me and set me on fire. I had to remove all my clothes immediately as the fire engulfed me,” Amrita said. The police were called to the spot and the PCR rushed her to PGI.

The SHO said there had been spats between the couple since they got married. The police have arrested Gurvinder and his cousin Rinku while the victim’s father-in-law is still absconding. Gurvinder and Rinku were produced in a local court on Thursday and sent to two-day police custody, added the SHO.

The Chandigarh Police have booked Gurvinder and his family members. Acting on the complaint, the police have registered a case under sections 307 (attempt to murder) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against the victim’s husband Gurvinder, her father-in-law Kashmir Singh and Gurvinder’s cousin Rinku at Manimajra police station.