On the 19th of April, 2024 (IST), Sukhdev Singh, a laborer originating from Bulle Nangal village in Amritsar, Punjab, purportedly restrained his wife, Pinki, aged 22 and six months pregnant with twins, to an iron cot before igniting flames around her. Following the horrific incident, Singh fled the scene but was later apprehended by Punjab police on Saturday, according to reports.
Presented before a local court, Singh was remanded to two-day police custody.
As per the initial information lodged under Section 302 (murder) of the IPC, on the complaint of the victim’s mother, Jyoti, it was alleged that her son-in-law had a fixation with pigeon-keeping, leading to frequent disputes within the couple.
[adinserter name="Five"]“Pinki was my eldest daughter, wedded to the accused two-and-a-half years ago. Despite her pregnancy, Pinki often lamented that her spouse prioritized his pigeons over her well-being, neglecting her prenatal medical appointments,” stated Jyoti, further elucidating that Singh allocated a considerable portion of their modest income to his avian hobby.
[adinserter name="Four"]“On Friday, I received word that my daughter had been assaulted and set ablaze by her husband. By the time I arrived at their residence, Pinki had already succumbed to her injuries,” she added.
In the aftermath of the tragic incident, the National Commission for Women (NCW) swiftly intervened, issuing a missive to the Punjab Director General of Police (DGP), mandating a report on the actions taken within three days.
[adinserter name="Three"]NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma penned a letter to the Punjab DGP, urging prompt action. “Appalled by the horrifying incident in Amritsar where a man allegedly set his pregnant wife on fire. The brutality of this act is unimaginable. Chairperson NCW @sharmarekha has written a letter to DGP Punjab to arrest the perpetrator and submit an action report in three days,” the NCW stated in a social media post.
[adinserter name="Two"]Several villagers speculated that the accused was under the influence of drugs during the commission of the crime. “This aspect is under investigation, and we are actively pursuing leads,” remarked Beas station house officer Gurwinder Singh.
