Girl dies after tiff with friend in Sector 35 park in Chandigarh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 9

A 20-year-old girl reportedly died after suffering burns in a Sector 35 park last evening. The police are probing as to whether the incident is a case of self-immolation or murder by her friend, who had come there to meet her.

The victim, Rani, a resident of Sohana and one of the six siblings in the family, was rushed to the GMSH-16 and later to the PGI where she succumbed to injuries today.

Differences over marriage

The victim, Rani, a resident of Sohana, had known Vishal (24), a resident of Kharar, for four-five years. They had met in the park reportedly to sort out their differences over their marriage. The boy had expressed his inability to marry the girl, which led to heated arguments.

Passersby informed the police and a team of the Sector 36 police station reached the spot. They shifted the girl to the hospital. Police officials said the girl and her friend, Vishal (24), a resident of Kharar, had met in the park reportedly to sort out their differences related to their marriage. The duo had known to each other for the past four-five years. The boy, a mobile shop worker in Sector 22, had expressed his inability to marry the girl, which led to heated arguments. The police have recovered a male silver bracelet from a dustbin and earrings near the spot.

Sources said CCTV footage shows the boy leaving the place and crossing the road towards Sector 22. “On hearing the girl’s shrieks, the boy rushed and tried to extinguish the fire with his shirt. In a bid to douse the fire, the boy also suffered burns on the hand. Passersby, too, gathered at the spot after the incident,” sources said.

The girl, in her dying declaration at the hospital, had alleged that the boy set her on fire. Based on her statement, the police registered an attempt-to-murder case. Later, they added murder charges to the report and arrested Vishal.

The sources said the deceased’s mother also alleged that the suspect had refused to marry her daughter earlier and was allegedly harassing her.

A post-mortem examination of the deceased will be conducted tomorrow after which the exact cause of death would be known.

A forensic team also took samples from the spot. The police said partially burnt clothes, sandals and a bottle were recovered from the spot. “CCTV footage, eyewitnesses and phone call records of the deceased and the suspect are being investigated to corroborate the facts of the case. It is also being probed how the duo reached the spot. From where and how the inflammable liquid in a bottle was procured,” said investigating officer.

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