Youth sets woman on fire for not giving daughter’s hand in marriage

BENGALURU: A youth set a woman on fire for refusing to get him married to her daughter around at Saneguruvanahalli in Basaveshwara Nagar.

The accused, Muthu, was living with Geeta and her daughter and was close to the family. Geeta ran a provision store, while Muthu had a tea stall. The woman has a close friend from the same area. Muttu had been pressuring Geeta to marry off her 19-year-old daughter, but she refused.

Enraged by this, Muthu poured petrol on Geeta and set her ablaze around 1 am on Tuesday . She suffered 50 per cent burns and is fighting for her life. Police have registered an attempted murder case and are searching for Muthu.

Dr Yogishwarappa, Head of the Burns Unit at Victoria Hospital, said Geeta is critical with 45-50 per cent burns, but is responding to treatment and is able to communicate. “Her voice has changed and she is under oxygen support. There is no problem with the internal organs of the body”, he said.