A 32-year-old woman from Tamil Nadu's Ramanathapuram district set herself ablaze after allegedly being harassed by her father-in-law. She also reportedly faced dowry-related abuse from her in-laws.
The woman, identified as Ranjitha, sustained over 70 percent burns and succumbed during treatment in Madurai, according to a report by NDTV.
In her declaration in a video, Ranjitha, her face charred, was heard saying, "My father-in-law hugged me. I couldn't take it. That's why I immolated myself."
According to NDTV, her son, a student of Class 7, also backed her claims in another video, claiming she had confided in him about the sexual harassment.
Her family has alleged that the abuse wasn't limited to her father-in-law's inappropriate conduct but included ongoing dowry harassment by her husband and in-laws.
Ranjitha's sister, Alagasundari, told reporters, "It has been 13 years of torture. They kept demanding a plot of land and more gold. Her father-in-law sexually harassed her. She had been hinting at this. Her husband would drink, beat her, and ask her to silently endure everything. They wouldn't let her visit us and threatened they wouldn't take her back if she did."
A case of suicide has been registered and an investigation is underway.
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