Painter gets 7 yrs after lover sets self ablaze, jumps off bldg & dies

MUMBAI: A sessions court on Monday convicted and sentenced a 30-year-old painter to seven years imprisonment for abetting the suicide of his 38-year-old partner. The victim, Fatima Mandal, set herself on fire, and jumped off her third-floor tenement at Khar Danda after being physically and verbally abused by the accused, Miraj Khan. The woman suffered over 70% burns and was admitted to a hospital, where she spoke to a social worker before succumbing to her injuries. She told the social worker, who was one of the witnesses in the case, that Khan had been fighting with her as she had given shelter to their neighbours.
The witness informed the court that Mandal had told her she met Khan while she was working as a bar dancer and they fell in love. The social worker said that the victim had told her that Khan had hit her with a rod for giving shelter to an old lady and verbally abused her. She said that Khan was uncomfortable having someone else in the house as he could not spend time with Mandal alone.

The victim said on March 18, 2016, at 2pm, the accused came home and another fight took place. She stated that after the accused beat her, he locked the door from outside. The social worker said Mandal had told her she poured kerosene and lit herself out of frustration and anger. “She told me that due to the burns, her body started itching and hence, she jumped out of the window,” the witness told the court. The victim screamed for help, after which cops were called and the woman was taken to the hospital.

Khan was arrested the next day. He has also been found guilty under charges of wrongful confinement, causing hurt and intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace. tnn