Woman teacher set ablaze by man in Maharashtra’s Wardha

NAGPUR: A 24-year-old college teacher in Hinganghat town, about 75km from here in Wardha district, was set ablaze in public view by a man stalking her for past few days. Ankita Pisudde, 24, a contributory lecturer with local Matoshree Ashatai Kumawar Mahila Mahavidyalaya, sustained 35%-40% burns and is being treated in Nagpur.Police have taken into custody a fellow villager Vikesh Nagrale, a married man with a child, for carrying out the attack early on Monday morning near the college where Ankita taught.Sources in the Orange City Hospital and Research Institute, where Ankita was brought, stated she was in critical condition with Grade-III deep dermal burns covering scalp, face, right upper limb, left hand, upper back and full neck with injuries affecting her respiratory system. Doctors stated a surgery was performed on Ankita but another 72 hours would be needed to make a proper prognosis.Ankita, a postgraduate in Botany and pursuing BEd, was walking towards her college along with two students after getting off from the bus she took every day from her village Daroda. They were half-a-kilometre from the college when the attack happened.Nagrale came on his bike and hurled petrol from a container on Ankita’s head. He then threw a lighted torch, made by wrapping a cloth around a stick, towards her following which upper part of her body got engulfed in flames. Nagrale, who had kept his bike idling, sped away from the place.Later in the day, he was intercepted at MIDC Buti Bori by Nagpur rural police as cops traced his mobile phone location. Nagrale was communicating with a friend and Hinganghat police took help of the friend to nab him.Nagrale had earlier tried to end his own life over some issue with Ankita. Police said Ankita and Nagrale were friends earlier but she had snapped ties after he got married to another woman around a year ago. The accused also had child. He worked as an electrician with a railway contractor. Police received information from Daroda village, where Nagrale and Ankita stayed, that he was stalking her for the last few days.Home minister Anil Deshmukh told TOI strict action would be initiated against the accused who has been slapped with stringent provisions of law. “We will conduct trial of the case in a fast track court. The government would provide all possible help to victim and her family,” he said.“Any one engaging in such a heinous crime would be strictly dealt with,” he said. Deshmukh added he would shortly visit Andhra Pradesh along with senior officers to study the stringent anti-woman atrocity laws the state had enacted.Minister Sunil Kedar, guardian minister of Wardha, visited the hospital and had a discussion with the medical team urging them to focus on reviving her. “I am trying to either shift the victim to Mumbai or ensure a Mumbai-based expert attends to her. My first priority is to save her life,” he said. Kedar also stated he would delve deeper into the incident and find out what had led to the attack.Around three months ago, Nagrale had approached Ankita in the bus while she was heading to Hinganghat to speak to her. She had objected to it and also relayed to his father Arun about his advances. Arun had berated Nagrale and threatened to approach police if he repeated his act. At that time, no police complaint was lodged.Pandurang Tumaskar, chairman of the management body of the college where Ankita taught, said a passer-by tried to shield her but he failed to foil the attack. “A family in the vicinity rushed out with buckets of water with which they doused the flame and a man with car rushed her to a hospital in the vicinity from where she was referred to Nagpur and taken there escorted by police,” he said. He said Ankita was a regular and sincere lecturer in the college which she had joined in June last year.Ankita’s father Arun said he had never heard anything from his daughter after the incident in the bus. “We are completely taken aback by the attack. I want strict action against Nagrale,” he said. “The family was informed by a student of my daughter’s college whose father is my friend,” he said.State women commission has taken suo motu cognisance of the matter and directed the Wardha SP Basavraj Teli to take strict action against the perpetrator and prepare a watertight case against him.Hinganghat police station’s in-charge Satyaveer Bandiwar stated Nagrale was slapped with attempt to murder under section 307 and also 326A for injuring by burning under Indian Penal Code (IPC).WHAT IS SECTION 326AWhoever causes permanent or partial damage or deformity to, or burns or maims or disfigures or disables, any part or parts of the body of a person or causes grievous hurt by throwing acid on or by administering acid to that person, or by using any other means with the intention of causing or with the knowledge that he is likely to cause such injury or hurt, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which shall not be less than ten years but which may extend to imprisonment for life, and with fine: Provided that such fine shall be just and reasonable to meet the medical expenses of the treatment of the victim: Provided further that any fine imposed under this section shall be paid to the victim.