A 24-year-old woman attempted to immolate herself outside the residence of a school owner in North-East Delhi’s Bhajanpura alleging that he had tricked her into quitting her teaching job.
The woman, who suffered serious burns, is battling for life at Safdarjung Hospital. The school owner’s wife and mother, too, suffered burns while trying to her. They have been admitted to Apollo Hospital.
The 24-year-old lives with her family in South-East Delhi’s Amar Colony. Until a few months ago, she worked as a teacher at a private school in East Delhi’s Maujpur.
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Dr. A.K. Singla, DCP (North-East), quoted the woman as saying that the school owner had grown close to her and would often take her out. “Word about their friendship reached the school owner’s wife, who objected to it,” said the DCP.
The owner was reportedly pressurised by his family into forcing the woman to quit. He then allegedly managed to convince the woman into resigning by offering to pay her a certain amount every month. The problem began when the monthly payments stopped a few months later.
On Friday evening, the woman came to the owner’s house with a can of kerosene. She was confronted by the owner’s mother and wife when she entered the house in Bhajanpura.
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“The woman demanded that she be allowed to meet the owner and seek an explanation. A scuffle followed after the two women refused to oblige,” said the DCP.
The woman then walked out and doused herself with kerosene before setting herself ablaze.
The owner’s wife and mother tried their best to douse the flames, sustaining burns in the process.
The three were rushed to GTB Hospital nearby from where they were referred to separate hospitals. The DCP said the school owner would be booked for harassing the woman.
The incident happened outside the residence of a school owner in North-East Delhi's Bhajanpura