Woman set on fire ‘by husband’

A man set his wife on fire following a feud in Rangpur’s Mithapukur upazila yesterday.

The victim, Aynunnahar Tonni, 21, suffered burns all over her body. She was first taken to the upazila health complex and then to Rangpur Medical College Hospital.

Her husband, Wahedul Islam, 27, is a farmer of the upazila’s Zadabpur village. He had gone into hiding soon after the incident but was arrested by police later.

Rawshan Ara, the mother of Wahedul, was at the scene when the incident happened.

She said her daughter-in-law beat up her three-year-old son after getting annoyed at the boy’s nagging yesterday morning.

Wahedul protested the beating and forced her out of the house. Around 11:00am, when he got back home after some time and found her still there, he flew into a rage and doused her with a container of diesel before setting her alight, she said.

Neighbours rescued the woman and took her to hospital.

Dr Ruposhree Pal of the burn unit of Rangpur Medical College Hospital, where the victim was admitted around 2:00pm, said the woman suffered 100 percent burns. “We referred her to Dhaka Medical College Hospital for her critical condition.”

The victim’s mother, Shahnaz Begum, said, “We don’t have money. We won’t take her to Dhaka.”

A victim usually does not survive if the burn is above 70 percent, said the doctor.

Shahnaz said her daughter got married to Wahedul four years ago, and they often had quarrels over family matters.

Zafar Ali Biswas, officer-in-charge of Mithapukur Police Station, said, “Wahedul was hiding in the village. We arrested him around 7:30pm.”