GUWAHATI: Five years after a woman in Assam was burnt alive over an incident involving an egg, a local court in the state sentenced three people, including a couple, to life imprisonment on Wednesday.
The Court of District and Sessions Judge, Hojai in Central Assam convicted Shyamoli Biswas, her husband Mohan Biswas and their relative Moni Mazumdar under Sections 448 and 302 of IPC on June 10.
On August 18, 2014, the trio had burnt the victim, Rubi Pandit, alive with kerosene at her Radhanagar residence in Hojai district following an altercation over the theft of an egg.
Apparently, a hen, owned by Shyamoli and Mohan, had laid an egg at the victim’s house. When they went to bring it, the victim shouted at them, calling them thieves which led to an argument. Later, the three convicts set fire to the victim with kerosene. The victim had jumped into a nearby pond to save her life as advised by the convicts. She was later pulled out of it by some locals and taken to a hospital in Jugijan. From there, she was rushed to Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) in Guwahati but she succumbed to her injuries soon after. In her dying statement given at the Jugijan hospital, the victim had narrated the entire incident.
The court said it was evident that prior to the incident, there was an altercation between the victim and the convicts on the issue of the theft of an egg.“Shyamoli caught hold of the victim and Mohan and Moni set her ablaze by pouring kerosene on her. It was premeditated to cause the victim’s death and accordingly, all three of them colluded to execute it,” the court of NS Deori said in the judgement.
Convicts tried to cover up their tracks
The convicts suggested Rubi, the victim to jump into a pond after setting her on fire. Locals pulled her out of the water and the convicts said they did not know who had commited the crime.