Illustration used for representational purpose

INDORE: The officer in charge of Bhavgarh police station in Mandsaur and six cops sat and watched a 22-year-old woman burn for nearly two and a half hours, allegedly without trying to douse the flames, because they were waiting for the forensic team to arrive.

While police say the suicide victim was dead by the time they arrived, her father insists she was alive and could have been saved. “Meri bachchi jalti rahi (my daughter kept burning),” he said, alleging that the cops did not let anyone put out the fire.

When the forensic team arrived at 4.45pm, the cops asked the victim’s father to put out the fire. “I was asked to bring two buckets of water and pour on the burning body of my daughter. There were half a dozen policemen there, including the inspector,” he said.

Mandsaur SP Hitesh Choudhary, however, said that the matter was being “portrayed in a wrong manner”. “The woman had already died by the time police arrived. Police and family members had already doused the flames, but a little fire was still present. It was not like she was alive and we did not save her. The girl had already died,” he told

Cops could have saved the girl: Witnesses

Choudhary said that no action was being taken against the inspector, R C Gaud. TOI’s calls to Gaud went unanswered.

The incident happened on October 3 but came to light on Saturday when gruesome videos of the burning body and police on the scene went viral.

The victim, Ranu Tailor, of Karju village immolated herself at her home. Around 2pm, neighbours heard screams from inside the house and saw smoke. They tried to break down the door but failed. Bhavgarh police station in-charge R C Gaud and six cops arrived around 2.20pm, at the same time as her father, Komal Tailor, who had rushed back from a relative’s ceremony in neighbouring Bhukki village. The police did their best to enter the room. They broke the window around 3.10pm. Villagers present on the spot told TOI that the inspector peeped through the window and told them that she had died. He then made all of them leave the spot and ordered a constable to stand guard till the time forensic experts arrived.

“We asked the inspector if we should douse the flames, but he refused, saying we should wait for the (forensic) officer. The inspector sat on a bed outside. The girl’s body kept burning for over 2 hours and 45 minutes in front of everyone but he did not do anything. He could have saved the girl,” neighbor Shailendra Soni told TOI.

“Police made us all leave the spot. No one poured any water on the burning girl,” Soni said. “They could have saved her,” said another villager, Lakshminarayan Patidar. Komal Tailor told TOI that the inspector “peeped inside and said she had died”. “Police must behave responsibly during such incidents. They could have saved my daughter if she had been taken to hospital immediately, but they did not douse the flames nor did they allow us into the house. It was only after the FSL officer arrived that I was asked to put out the fire,” he added.

In a video taken by villagers, the girl’s body is seen burning when the door was opened by the FSL officer. She then asked police to douse the flames immediately. “Shouldn’t police be punished for not saving my daughter,” asked Komal.

