In a bizarre incident, a woman, with the help of her son, set herself ablaze at an MCD school in North-East Delhi’s Seelampur on Friday. Incidentally, the estranged husband of the woman is the principal of the school and the couple had separated nearly 30 years ago.
Prima facie, it appears that the woman had immolated herself to incriminate her ex-husband after she found out he had remarried. Police said the woman had doused herself with kerosene and asked her son to set her alight. After having done so, the son started shouting that the principal had set his mother on fire. It was revealed later that the principal was on leave on that day.
According to police, the incident took place around 2 pm. The principal of the school, Shiraji Hassan’s first wife Aijaz Fatima (60), entered school premises with her son Zulfikar Hasan (27). As soon as she reached the school compound, she fished out a two litre jerrican from a polybag. Eyewitnesses told police that the woman poured kerosene on herself. Even though few teachers tried to dissuade her, they were threatened to steer clear. “She asked her son to set her alight. She wanted to meet the principal but even as we told her that the principal was on leave, she did not pay heed. Her son watched his mother burn screaming all the while his father had set her alight,” said one of the eyewitnesses.
A PCR call was made and the victim was rushed to lok Nayak Hospital. Doctors attending to her stated she had sustained more than 90 per cent burns and was critical. “A case has been registered and all efforts are on to nab the son,” said a police official.