Harassed for being unable to bear son, woman sets self, daughters on fire

Ahmedabad: Fed up with the 'torture' by her husband and in-laws for being unable to bear a male child, a woman, along with her two daughters, including a 13-day-old girl, on Friday allegedly set herself ablaze at her residence in Morbi town, police said.

According to an FIR lodged by the Morbi town police, the 26-year-old woman, Sheetal Parmar, allegedly committed suicide along with her two daughters as she was fed up with the torture from her husband and in-laws for ‘failing to give birth to a baby boy’.

"When we reached her house, we found charred bodies of Sheetal and daughters Payal (13 days old) and Jinkal (3). Prima facie, she poured kerosene over herself and the daughters and set her and them ablaze this morning," Sub-Inspector HB Bhadaniya said.

Based on a complaint lodged by Sheetal's brother Amarsinh Ganjaria, the Morbi police filed a case of abetment of suicide under section 306 of Indian Penal Code against Sheetal's husband Dayaram and in-laws Narsinh and Sharda, he said.

The accused trio were not present at the house when the police reached there, he said.

"As per Ganjaria, Dayaram and his parents started tormenting Sheetal soon after she gave birth to her second daughter. They used to taunt her for failing to give birth to a boy," Bhadaniya added.

"The complainant alleged that Sheetal took the extreme step as the torture from her husband and in-laws" was unbearable," he said, adding the hunt is on to nab the accused.