In Kolkata, a 30-year-old Muslim woman died after being set on fire allegedly by a man whose marriage proposal she had rejected. The accused, identified as Siddhartha Chariwal, was arrested shortly after the victim gave a dying declaration to the police, naming him as the attacker.
Lured for Job Interview, Then Attacked
According to the police complaint, the accused allegedly lured the woman to a secluded spot in the Maidan area under the pretext of a job interview. Once she reached the location, an argument reportedly broke out between the two.
Investigators said that Chariwal then poured kerosene on the woman and set her on fire. Passersby and police personnel rushed her to SSKM Hospital, where she was admitted with severe burn injuries.
Doctors confirmed that she had suffered nearly 90 percent burns and remained in critical condition for two days before succumbing to her injuries on Monday.
Victim Named Accused Before Death
Despite her critical condition, the woman managed to record a statement before the police. In her final moments, she clearly identified Siddhartha Chariwal as the person who attacked her.
Her mother said, “My daughter had gone for a job interview. Later, we got a call that she had been found badly burnt. At the hospital, she told us everything and named the man who did this.”
The family also revealed that the accused had been pressuring the woman to marry him for some time and had even offered her a job. However, she had refused both proposals.
“She clearly told him she would not marry him and did not want the job. After that, this happened,” the mother added.
Arrest and Investigation
Following the victim’s statement, police arrested Chariwal from the Beleghata area. Officials said the case was initially registered as attempted murder but will now be upgraded to murder after her death.
Public prosecutor Arup Chakraborty confirmed that the charges would be revised once the post-mortem report is completed.
The accused was produced before the Bankshall Court, which has already rejected his bail plea. Police are now investigating the sequence of events and trying to understand whether the attack was solely driven by rejection or if other factors were involved.
