The 21-year-old woman, who was set on fire by her husband in Kalyanpur municipality of Siraha, has died in Kathmandu on Friday.
Kanchan Mandal breathed her last at 5:05 in the evening at Sushma Koirala Memorial Hospital in Sankhu, Kathmandu, Dr Rujina Shilpakar at the hospital told Setopati. "She was brought here too late. Her face and respiratory pipe were swollen when she was brought here. Her kidneys also gradually stopped functioning. We failed to save her despite our best efforts," Dr Shilpakar said.
Kanchan was first taken to the BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences in Dharan for treatment and was then brought to Sushma Koirala Memorial Hospital in Sankhu. The skin of almost whole body of Kanchan was burnt.
Kanchan's husband Chetan Mandal had set her on fire from behind when she was working in the kitchen Thursday morning. Chetan is absconding after the incident while his mother Surji Khatwe has been arrested by the police.
Kanchan had told the police that she was set on fire from behind when she was working in the kitchen. "I was working in the kitchen. I knew only after I was set on fire. My husband and mother-in-law have put me in such trouble," DSP at the Area Police Office Mirchaiya Suk Dev Khanal quoted Kanchan as saying in her statement.
The neighbors called police after knowing that Kanchan was set on fire. The police and locals jointly doused fire to save Kanchan.
Kanchan has an 18-month daughter.
DSP Khanal said mother-in-law Khatwe is not cooperating in investigation. "She has not spoken anything during our questioning. We have, therefore, initiated investigation on the basis of statement of the victim. We are also looking for the victim's husband," DSP Khanal added.
