Housewife set ablaze by in-laws

Kolkata: A housewife was allegedly set on fire by her mother-in-law and sister-in-law when her husband was away from home.

The incident took place in Makarampur area of Bolpur in Birbhum on Tuesday morning. The victim, Kalpana Das has been undergoing treatment at Bolpur Sub-divisional hospital with critical burn injuries. The victim jumped into a nearby pond to douse the flames.

The incident triggered tension among locals, some of whom saw the victim rushing towards the pond after she was set ablaze. The locals rescued the victim and immediately took her to hospital.

After being informed, the police rushed to her in-laws house where the incident took place. The victim's mother-in-law and sister-in-law were detained by the police for interrogation. In the preliminary investigation, police came to know that the victim woman had been involved in a quarrel with her mother-in-law over some family related issues.

The victim's husband, Kartik Das, is a mason. He went to his work place at around 7.30 am following which a quarrel broke out between the victim and the two accused. Police suspect that when a heated altercation was going on the duo attacked the victim and later set her on fire. As the fire spread all over her body, the victim rushed to a pond and jumped into the water. The locals were alerted by the screams of the woman and went to her rescue. The family members of the victim lodged a complaint and a probe has been initiated.