SIRAHA, April 27: Twenty-year-old Kanchan Mandal (Khatbe) of Kalyanpur municipality-8 Aurang breathed her last while undergoing treatment for burns at Sushma Koirala Memorial Hospital, Sankhu on Friday evening. Before she died she said that she had been burnt alive by her husband and mother-in-law.

She was rushed to a local hospital after her husband and mother-in-law sprinkled kerosene on her and set fire to her Thursday at their home in Siraha district . Doctors pronounced her dead after around three hours of treatment at the Sankhu hospital .

She was first rescued by locals and rushed to Mangalam Medicare Center at Mirchaiya, where doctors found 80 percent burn injuries to the body . They referred her to the BP Koirala Institute of Health and Sciences , Dharan.

The Dharan-based hospital suggested taking her to one of the specialized hospitals in Kathmandu. She was then rushed to the capital city.

On Thursday afternoon, Kanchan had telephoned her father and told her that she was beaten up mercilessly by her in-laws.

“Husband and mother-in-law are beating me and giving me mental torture as well. It's intolerable,” her father Ramlochan quoted her as saying over the telephone. “They might kill me anytime.” After that the phone was interrupted.

Later in the night, Ramlochan was informed over the phone that his daughter had been burnt alive. He told Republica that the husband and mother-in-law were responsible .

Kanchan, who hailed from Arnama Rural Municipality-3 Bathiya, was married to Bechan Mandal (Khatbe) in May 2017. They have a one-year-old daughter. According to Ramlochan, Bechan was working in Punjab as a mason and had returned home a few months ago.

He used to torture Kanchan on a daily basis since his return. “We had decided to get our daughter a divorce but it is now too late ,” said Ramlochan.

Chief of area police office Mirchaiya, DSP Sukdev Khanal, said police have arrested Kanchan's mother-in-law Surji Mandal Khatbe for investigations while Bechan is at large.

This is not a case in isolation. Other such incidents have taken place recently. On April 18, Nirmala Yadav,20, of Shahidnagar Municipality-1 in Dhanusha was burnt alive by her husband Mukesh Yadav, who is now at large.

Likewise, 45-year-old Sunita Yadav of Birgunj-20 Hapatgunj succumb while undergoing treatment at TU Teaching Hospital Maharajgunj on March 22 after she was severely beaten up by her doctor husband.

With incidents of domestic violence increasing in Province 2, Chief Minister Lal Babu Raut made a commitment to deliver justice to all the victims and step up security alert in the area.

 
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