Lucknow, March 17: A Samajwadi Party legislator has been booked for setting a woman on fire in Uttar Pradesh’s Maharajganj district.
According to police reports reaching here, Samajwadi Party MLA Sripati Azad, who represents the Sadar Assembly seat, set on fire
one Savitri Devi, a widow, on Tuesday night in Rampur Buzurg village after a heated argument between the two.
The Samajwadi Party legislator, according to sources, was a frequent visitor to the widow’s house. When he arrived with his supporters at her house on Tuesday night, an argument began between the two over a piece of land.
In a fit of rage, the Samajwadi Party MLA allegedly poured kerosene over her and set her on fire. As soon as she caught fire, the legislator tried to douse the flames and burnt his hand. The widow’s son, who tried to intervene, was assaulted by the supporters of the legislator. “We have registered a case against the legislator, who is absconding. We have detained some of his supporters to ascertain his whereabouts,” said a police official in Maharajganj.
Meanwhile, the widow Savitri is being treated at a hospital where her condition is stated to be critical.
Amita Verma
