PUNE: A 19-year-old woman, who was two months pregnant, and her husband were set ablaze allegedly by her father and relatives in Ahmednagar district, as they were opposed to the couple’s inter-caste love marriage. The woman succumbed to burn injuries at Sassoon Hospital here on Sunday night, while her husband is struggling for his life.
Police have termed it as a case of honour killing and identified the deceased as Rukmini. Her husband Mangesh Chandrakant Ransing (23) has sustained about 50 per cent burn injuries.
According to Ahmednagar district police, the incident took place at the woman’s house in Nighoj village, about 70 km from Pune, in Parner taluka. Her family is from Uttar Pradesh and currently settled in Nighoj. Mangesh is also from Nighoj. He worked as a mason at a construction site in Pune. They married around six months ago at Alandi. Her mother had attended the marriage ceremony. Her family members were opposed to the marriage as they belonged to different castes.
As per the statements recorded by police during their treatment at the hospital, there was an argument between the couple on April 28 overcooking and she went to her mother’s house. However, on May 1 she called Mangesh to take her back as her family members were harassing her. When Mangesh went there, her father Ram Bharatiya, uncle Surendra Kumar and maternal uncle Ghanshyam Ranej refused to let her go. When the couple insisted on leaving the house, the trio beat them up. They poured petrol and set them on fire and locked the room from outside. The accused persons fled. After hearing the couple’s screams, a neighbour rescued them and rushed them to a nearby government hospital. After primary treatment, they were referred to Sassoon Hospital, where Rukmini died on Sunday around 9.30 pm. She had sustained about 70 per cent burn injuries.
Police Sub-Inspector Vijaykumar Botre of Parner police station recorded the couple’s statement. “We have arrested her uncles, while a search is on for her father. In their statements, the woman said that her family members were opposed to their marriage as they belonged to different castes,” Botre said.
