BENGALURU: A public hearing on women who were set on fire by their husbands, or were driven to do so themselves, turned into an emotionally charged session, with the victims keen to get better jobs and good education for their children. The need to have a comprehensive ‘Burns policy’ was also emphasised.
The meet, organised by NGO Aweksha at its premises on Myrtle Lane on Wednesday, had 10 burns survivors narrating their ordeals, before plastic surgeries and treatment facilitated their recovery. Setting the tone for the event, K Satya of Aweksha said, “Many of the women are not victims of stove bursts, as claimed by them initially to police, but are deliberate, calculated, outright murders.”
Burns survivor Gowri recalled the sexual violence she was subjected to by her husband, even after the birth of three children. “My only goal is good education for my three daughters,” she said. Sangeetha, a Bengaluru native, said after her husband passed away due to jaundice, she was left with two children. “His family refused to support me. A person I met promised to take good care of them, so I married him. However, it was continuous torture, so I decided to end my life by setting myself on fire,” she said.
Vasantha, a native of Kolar, realised her Bengaluru-based husband was having affairs with multiple women. “I questioned him about it and in the midst of furious arguments, he threw a burning lamp at me,” she recalled. Chandrakala’s husband poured kerosene on her from behind and set her on fire, when she was ironing clothes at home, she recalled.
Better facilities for victims
Donna Fernandes, women’s rights activist and president of Aweksha, said, “It is absolutely imperative to have a Burns Policy that offers a framework and guidance for all. We have been working on it for three years, and require government support to make it happen.”
She urged the State government to upgrade facilities at government burns wards across Karnataka, on the lines of those at Victoria Hospital. Priyanka Mary Francis, Director of Women and Child Department, said the proposal to ready more One Stop Centres (OSC) is in the offing, whereby victims can avail of all services under one roof, instead of running from pillar to post.
Pramila Naidu, Chairperson of Karnataka State Commission for Women, assured support for the policy. She also impressed on the need to file a strong first information report (FIR) with correct facts so that justice can be rendered.
Dr Ramesh K T, Head of Department of Burns, Victoria Hospital, said compensation must be provided for any kind of disfigurement caused due to burns, rather than the rule of providing compensation only for those with 40 per cent and more disability.