UMERKOT: Police on Sunday booked a man and his father on a complaint lodged by his wife, accusing the duo of attempting to immolate her.

Ms Meena, a mother of five, told journalists at Umerkot Civil Hospital that her husband, Ashok Meghwar, and father-in-law, Loono Meghwar, had attempted to set her on fire, leaving one of her legs severely burnt. Doctors at the hospital confirmed that 70 per cent of the victim’s leg had been brunt.

The victim’s brother, Mavji Meghwar, lodged a complaint at Bodar Farm police station against Ashok and Loono. The father-in-law had been arrested and he would be produced in court, said police officials.

Mavji told media persons that his sister had long been facing violence at the hands of her husband and father-in-law.

Ashok had previously tortured her and a case had been also filed at the Women’s police station but though the matter was later settled through mediation, the violence resumed, he said.

This time, he said, they tried to kill her by setting her on fire in their home in Bhojo Kolhi village within the jurisdiction of Bodar Farm police station.

Ashok, however, rejected the allegations and told journalists that he was a labourer and was away at work when his wife got injured.

According to him, when he returned home during rainfall, he asked his wife to serve food. “She poured kerosene on the firewood to heat curry, but the flames flared up, burning her leg,” he claimed.

He said that he had shifted his wife to Bodar Farm and other hospitals where she was treated and her health was improving.

Ashok alleged that his wife’s family had staged a drama to implicate him and his parents in a fabricated case, insisting that Meena’s injuries were result of her own mistake.

Published in Dawn, September 16th, 2025