Men can be victims of domestic abuse, too. A 24-year-old man suffered 30% burns after his wife allegedly poured kerosene and set him on fire during a fight over Rs 1,000.

The incident occurred in Gangondanahalli, off Mysuru Road, police said.

Arif, a construction worker, is married to Amreen Babu, 22. His mother Faru lives with them. Arif had been looking to rent a house so that he could move in there with his wife. He had found a house and wanted to get it painted before they moved in there.

On March 16, Amreen asked her husband to give her Rs 1,000, saying she wants to buy an LPG cylinder for her mother. Arif refused, saying he was left with only Rs 2,000 that he would spend on getting the house painted. He also told her that he would have to borrow money from a friend to buy groceries.

But Amreen wouldn’t listen. She fought him over the matter and eventually got Rs 1,000. When Arif returned home around 6 pm that day, he found his wife had bought clothes with the money instead of buying the cylinder. An argument soon broke out between them. It took an ugly turn when Amreen suddenly grabbed a bottle of kerosene and threatened to immolate herself if he questioned her about the money or the shopping.

Arif snatched the bottle from her, saying he would rather kill himself. Just then, Amreen snatched the bottle and poured the kerosene on him. Her mother allegedly lit a match, and asked Amreen to set Arif on fire. She just did as told.

Arif’s screams drew neighbours. They quickly doused the fire and rushed him to Victoria Hospital in an auto-rickshaw. Police quoted the doctors as saying that Arif had suffered 30% burns but was recovering.

The incident would have remained under wraps had the hospital not informed the police. A police officer said that when they visited the hospital to see Arif, he had injuries on the back, abdomen, face and hands. “We have booked Amreen and Faru for attempted murder. Further investigations are underway,” the officer added.