Woman resists rape attempt, is set ablaze

MANSA (PUNJAB): A woman was set ablaze by a man in Peron village in Mansa district after she successfully resisted his attempt to rape her. The woman died on Sunday morning.

The man, Sandeep Singh, has been booked under murder charges and is on the run, police said.

The woman was alone when Singh, a resident of the same village, entered her house and tried to rape her. On strong resistance from the woman, he set her ablaze after pouring kerosene on her, and ran away.

The woman's shrieks made the neighbours rush to her help. The family members too arrived soon and she was taken to a Bathinda hospital. The hospital said her condition was too serious for it to handle. Then she was taken to Baba Farid Medical College of Faridkot, said her husband.

Battling there for life for more than a day, she succumbed to burn injuries on Sunday morning, confirmed Behniwal police post head Rajinder Singh. Peron is under the Behniwal police post.

Jaurkian police station SHO Karamjit Singh said that though initially Sandeep had been booked under attempt to murder charges along with the charge of trying to assault the modesty of a woman, after the death of the woman, murder charges were added.

All India Progressive Women's Association member Iqbal Kaur has demanded severest punishment to the man.