now, this is a crime mystery that would take a lot to unravel...

Woman, daughter set ablaze, die
Police suspects honour killing
Jupinderjit Singh
Tribune News Service

Gigrayal (Khour block), September 19
The Jammu police is trying to unravel the mystery behind the shocking incident of setting on fire of three females of this border village. While two of them died in the hospital, the third, a teenager, is stated be critical.

Krishna Devi (55), her daughter, Rajni (20), and a neighbour’s daughter, Kajal (13), were set on fire on the midnight of September 1 by some unidentified persons when the three were sleeping in the open verandah of Krishna’s house.

Krishna and Rajni suffered nearly 50 per cent burns and died in Government Hospital, Jammu, yesterday. Kajal is still undergoing treatment with 25 per cent burns, but her condition is critical.

The miscreants first sprinkled petrol on them but none of the victims could wake up in time to prevent the gory attack. Surprisingly, two sons of Krishna Devi, 24-year-old Gurdial and 17-year-old Tilak Raj, who were sleeping on two different cots nearby were not attacked and did not wake up till the women were engulfed in flames.

The boys claimed they did not see any one running away. The police noticed that the boys’ hands were not burnt as usually happens when some one tries to douse a fire.

With theories like robbery, personal enmity and land dispute not providing any successful leads in the 18 days of investigation, the cops believe it could be a case of honour killing or the handiwork of some mad men who committed the crime withut any motive. The sustained questioning of boys has not provided any clue so far about whether their sister had an affair or there was some dispute in the family.

“There is absolutely no clue so far. We are zeroing in on the possibility of honour killing as the main motive. A young girl is targeted because of illicit relations or inter-caste love affair,” said SHO, Khour police station, Rakesh Akram.

Gurdial, the elder son of the deceased, said the police was trying to implicate them in the case. “I and my brother woke up hearing the cries of my mother and others. We poured water on them and later made them sit under the hand pump. By that time the entire village had reached,” said Gurdial

The family is poor.It lives in a small plot having two thatched huts, one used as living room and another as the kitchen.

“We are poor landless labourers dependent on daily wages,” added Gurdial.

Villagers acknowledge it was the most shocking as well as weird incident. They said there was some unpleasant talk about the young girl but nothing was there to confirm it. Some of the villagers, wishing not to be named, said the girl’s younger brother had recently gone on a Sadbhawna trip sponsored by the Army. The police insists the brothers are the prime suspects. “We would call them for questioning soon. This is not the opportune time due to the death of their sister and mother, ” said the police.

(published in The Tribune, Jammu Edition , sept 20, 2010