A 22-year-old woman died after allegedly being set on fire by her former lover in the Biharuhat area of Sannyasikata gram panchayat in Raiganj. The incident triggered tension in the locality on Tuesday afternoon when the body of the deceased, identified as Jahanara Begum, was brought back to the village. Police have arrested the accused, Shariful Alam, and an investigation is underway.
Jahanara was admitted in critical condition to North Bengal Medical College Hospital after the incident and succumbed to her injuries on Monday night.
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Allegations of harassment
According to police and local residents, Shariful Alam was Jahanara’s neighbour, and the two were previously in a romantic relationship. Later, Shariful married another woman and had a child. However, he allegedly continued to harass Jahanara even after his marriage.
A village arbitration meeting was reportedly held over the matter, during which Shariful was warned. Despite this, the harassment allegedly continued.
In July 2024, Jahanara filed a rape case against Shariful. He was arrested in connection with that case and later released on bail. The case is still ongoing. The deceased woman’s family alleges that after being released, Shariful again began harassing her.
Incident details and police action
According to the family’s complaint, on Wednesday night, Shariful allegedly called Jahanara and threatened to commit suicide. He then tried to take her to his house forcibly. When she refused, he allegedly poured petrol on her and set her on fire in an open space opposite the house.
Local residents rescued Jahanara and rushed her to the hospital, where she later died.
As the body reached the village on Tuesday afternoon, residents demanded strict punishment for the accused. Tahmida Rahman, Trinamool Congress regional president of Sannyasikata gram panchayat, visited the deceased woman’s house. He said Jahanara’s father had died two years ago and that she lived with her two minor brothers and a specially-abled mother. He added that the young woman ran her household with support from neighbours and was allegedly being blackmailed.
Jalpaiguri district police superintendent Y Raghuvamshiy said the accused has been arrested based on a complaint filed by the victim’s family. The arrest has been made in an attempted murder case. The earlier rape case will continue as per procedure.
