Woman Dies After Being Set Ablaze By Husband's Sister Over Daughter's Birth

A woman in India died Sunday, 10 days after she was set ablaze by her husband’s sister for giving birth to a girl.

The victim, identified as 25-year-old Monica Pawar, lived with her husband and his sister, who was a divorcee and had a daughter. The victim and the accused, identified as 35-year-old Kanta Rathod, did not get along quite well, and got into frequent arguments, local daily Mid Day reported.

Last month, the victim gave birth to a girl child. Assuming the child’s birth meant her daughter will no longer get love from the family, the accused threw oil at Pawar and set her on fire at their residence in the western state of Maharashtra.

The victim was rushed to a local hospital, where she succumbed to burn injuries Sunday. The victim got married six years ago and also had a 5-year-old son.

Following her death, the victim’s aunt filed a police complaint, saying "that her niece had told her in the hospital that her family members were very happy after the birth of her daughter, but her sister-in-law was upset as she thought her own daughter would not get love from the family after that. Hence, on July 8, the accused threw oil on the victim and set her on fire. The victim did not remember what happened next," a police officer told news agency Press Trust of India.

The accused was taken into custody the same evening. Charges filed against the woman were not known.

Last month, a man in the southern state of Kerala was arrested for allegedly killing his live-in partner by setting her on fire following an argument over a social media post. The victim used to frequently post videos on Instagram even though her partner opposed it. This led to frequent arguments between the two and during one such fight, the man poured kerosene on the woman and set her on fire. She was rushed to a local hospital, where she succumbed to burn injuries the following morning.