New Delhi: The man, aged 30, died late on Monday night after allegedly setting himself on fire in Jahangirpuri in Delhi after a domestic dispute with his wife, police said.
Investigators found a social media post from the man minutes before the incident, in which he claimed his wife and mother-in-law were harassing him and that she pushed him into the extreme act. The disturbing video is said to have been seen online shortly after the incident.
The man had reportedly gone to his in-laws’ house with the intention of convincing his wife to go back home with him, but instead he was arrested with a quantity of phenyl and kerosene. But following an altercation over his need for divorce, he started eating phenyl and then poured kerosene over himself and set it alight.
When neighbours heard screams and sighted flames they rushed to the scene. Residents tried to save his life by pouring water over him and covering him with blankets, but before the cops got there, he had already died.
In the cross-examination, the wife stated that when she met the deceased for the first time, he claimed to be working in the Indian Forest Service but later, she came to know that he was working as a cab driver. She also accused him of threatening to stalk her with private photos and videos after his initial refusal to marry her.
The couple tied the knot in January this year but soon after the wife, as per her account, moved out of the marital home and stayed in her mother’s house in Jahangirpuri, due to alleged domestic violence.
The Delhi Police has launched an investigation into the case and both the wife and mother-in-law have been questioned. All of this is being looked into, including allegations of harassment and domestic abuse, officials said.