JALANDHAR, Aug. 4 —A 32-year-old woman and her two children were set on fire by a jilted vegetable seller in Jalandhar’s Ekta Nagar after she refused his marriage proposal. The accused, identified as Bassa, is currently on the run.
The victim, Sukhvinder Verma, a widow and mother of two, sustained severe burn injuries after Bassa, a local vegetable vendor, allegedly poured petrol on her and her children and set them ablaze at her residence late Sunday night. The incident occurred in Phase 2 of Ekta Nagar in the Rama Mandi area.
According to police, Sukhvinder suffered approximately 50 percent burns, while her daughter sustained burn injuries to her legs. The extent of injuries to her son remains under assessment.
SHO Navdeep Singh of Rama Mandi police station said the woman was saved due to the timely intervention of neighbours and relatives, who rushed her to the Civil Hospital in Jalandhar. She was later referred to the Medical College in Amritsar for advanced treatment. “She has suffered 32 percent confirmed burns so far. The accused has been booked under Section 109 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for attempt to murder. Raids are ongoing, and he will be arrested soon,” Singh said.
Sukhvinder’s brother, Balvinder Singh of Kaki village, told police that his sister had lost her husband Bunty shortly after their marriage. She had been living in Ekta Nagar for the past five months, during which time the accused began frequenting her home under the pretext of selling vegetables and allegedly started pressuring her to marry him.
Recently, after Sukhvinder reportedly slapped Bassa in response to his continued harassment, he is believed to have planned the attack to exact revenge.
The accused, a resident of Bazigar Basti in Rama Mandi, is said to have siphoned petrol from his motorbike before throwing it on the woman and her children and setting them on fire.
Police are appealing to the public for information on the accused’s whereabouts and have assured that swift action will be taken to bring him to justice.
The incident has shocked the local community, with residents demanding stricter enforcement and faster arrest in cases of violence against women.
