Assam: Woman set on fire over land row in Hojai district

GUWAHATI: A video clip showing a horrific scene of a woman being engulfed by fire in a paddy field in Assam and a group of stick-wielding men around her has gone viral on social media.
The incident occurred at Dakshin Samarali village under Murajhar police station in Hojai district on Thursday.

The 50-year-old woman, Saleha Begum, was immediately rescued by police and locals and thereafter admitted to a hospital with burn injuries. Police said that the ownership of the paddy filed is of dispute between Begum and one Rahimuddin.
Begum said, “It is our land and Rahimuddin was trying to till it with his tractor. They set me on fire and tried to kill me when I tried to stop him. But I escaped with some injuries.”
She added that a land dispute case was filed at Murajhar police station in 2019 and investigation was on.
But officer in-charge of Morajhar police station Kabir Singh Limboo said that the actual situation was far different from what Begum claims and the she caught fire by accident.
“We have video footages that show Begum had come to the field carrying a can, which was containing petrol, and she probably wanted to set the tractor on fire. There was a scuffle between the two parties and she caught fire. We have brought her to hospital with minor injuries on her hand.”
He added, “We have registered two cases following complaints lodged by both party in connection with the incident.”
The earlier case of 2019 against Rahimuddin was filed by Begum alleging that he has grabbed her land. “Rahimuddin has been absconding since then and he turned up on Thursday and this incident happened. He has again gone into hiding before police could get their hands on him,” Limboo said.