A 19-year-old Indian girl, Ankita Kumari, has died after she was doused in fuel and set ablaze by a man whose marriage proposal she rejected.
Ankita was a Hindu and Class 12 student residing in the Dumka district of the eastern state of Jharkhand before her unfortunate demise.
The suspect, said to be a Muslim man living in her community, asked for her hand in marriage but she turned him down, and he in turn, vowed to make her life a living hell.
Acting on his words on Tuesday, August 23, the accused poured petrol on Ankita through her room window while she was sleeping at night and set her on fire.
She was rushed to a hospital for treatment but sadly, she gave up the ghost on Sunday, August 28, after five days of fighting for her life.
In a statement documenting Ankita’s testimony before she died, she said,
“He called me again around 8pm on Monday and told me that he would kill me if I did not talk to him.
“I informed my father about the threat after which he assured me that he would talk to the man’s family on Tuesday. After having our dinner, we went to sleep. I was sleeping in another room.
“On Tuesday morning, I experienced a sensation of pain on my back and could smell something burning. I found him running away when I opened my eyes.
“I started screaming in pain and went to my father’s room. My parents doused the fire and took me to the hospital.”
Ankita was also filmed saying from her hospital bed: “He should die the way I am dying today.”
Meanwhile, her death has stirred an uproar in India as the Hindu community threaten to stage a protest if action is not taken against the suspect.
