A 30-year-old police constable was allegedly set on fire by his partner in Bengaluru, resulting in his death, on Thursday, December 21. The incident reportedly occurred after a confrontation regarding his partner's alleged relationship with another man. Despite being rushed to the hospital by the partner, he succumbed to his injuries in the hospital.
The deceased, identified as Sanjay, had been in a relationship with Rani, who is married and has two children. Rani, formerly stationed as a home guard at the Basavanagudi police station in Bengaluru, where Sanjay also worked, had left the police force to work as a security guard at a private firm.
On December 6, a heated argument broke out between the two when Sanjay discovered Rani's alleged relationship with another man. In his dying declaration to the police, Sanjay alleged that Rani threatened to set him on fire during the confrontation at her residence. In response, Sanjay went to a nearby petrol pump, returned with a bottle of petrol, and challenged Rani to set him ablaze. According to Sanjay, Rani poured petrol on him and ignited the fire.
Realising the severity of the situation, Rani extinguished the flames with water and hurriedly took Sanjay to Victoria Hospital on a bike. Sanjay succumbed to his injuries during the early hours of December 21. While being admitted to the hospital, Sanjay had initially claimed that the fire was an accident but two days before his death, he changed his statement, accusing Rani of deliberately setting him on fire after a heated argument.
Sanjay's family contends that Rani deliberately set him on fire, leading to his death. According to the police, Sanjay, who has another family, was engaged in an extramarital relationship with Rani. The Puttenahalli police have registered a case in connection with the incident and initiated an investigation.
With inputs from IANS