Jharkhand: SDO booked after wife dies by allegedly setting herself on fire

Anita Devi had allegedly set herself on fire at their official residence in Hazaribag’s Lohsinghna on Thursday, they said.

She was rushed to the burn unit of the Bokaro General Hospital before she was shifted to the private hospital in Ranchi, where she breathed her last on Friday.

Addressing a press conference here, Superintendent of Police Arvind Kumar Singh said a case was registered against the SDO, his father Duryodhan Sahu, younger brother Shivnandan and his sister-in-law Rinku Devi on the basis of the statement of Anita Devi’s brother Rajkumar Gupta.

In his statement, Gupta claimed that since Kumar was promoted, there was a lot of change in his behaviour towards his wife.

The differences between Kumar and his wife further deteriorated after she learned that he was having an extramarital affair, he claimed.

The SP said Sub-Divisional Police Officer (HQ) Amit Kumar Anand has been directed to investigate the case.

Action against those named in the FIR will be taken only after their statements are recorded, he said.

The SDO, however, claimed he had no hand in the death of his wife.

He said that when he came to know about his wife setting herself on fire, he tried to save her and received burn injuries.

He said that he was even admitted to the hospital for treatment.

Kumar got married to Anita Devi in 2011, and they had a nine-year-old son and four-year-old daughter.

The SP said no favour will be shown to the SDO during the investigation.

“Nobody is above the law and SDO Ashok Kumar will also have to meet the same fate if the allegations against him are proven to be correct,” he added.

However, no arrests have been made yet.

Meanwhile, the woman’s family members gheraoed the police station along with her body, demanding immediate action against the SDO.

Police said they have also recorded the statements of the staff of the SDO’s official residence. PTI CORR BS SOM