Jharkhand: In a tragic incident on Friday, a 22-year-old woman died in a Ranchi hospital after being set ablaze allegedly by a man whose marriage proposal she had refused, police said. 

The woman, Maruti Kumari, belonging to Bhalki village in Dumka district, was taken to a local facility by family members and then referred to Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in the state capital, a senior police officer said.

The victim's autopsy would be performed by a team of doctors in front of a magistrate, Dumka Superintendent of Police Amber Lakra confirmed, as per reports. "The woman made a statement before a magistrate that will serve as her dying declaration. There is also a separate FIR," Lakra said.

Shivender Thakur, sub-divisional police officer (SDPO), Jarmundi, said the accused, who is already married, has been taken into custody.

"On Friday early, a local man who wanted to marry the victim broke into her home, doused her with gasoline while she slept, and set her flames.

She was taken by family members to Phulo Jhano Medical College and Hospital and later sent by doctors to RIMS, said Thakur. The woman, as well as her parents, weren't prepared for this union. According to the SDPO, the accused and the victim had known one another since 2019. The accused allegedly threatened to kill the woman in the same way a 19-year-old woman was burned alive in Dumka in August of this year, as pr woman's statement. On August 23, a guy is accused of setting a woman on fire because she rebuffed his advances. Later on, the woman passed away. The woman, a Class 12 student, was allegedly doused with gasoline by the accused, who has been identified as Shahrukh, while she slept and set ablaze.

In a similar case, last month, a 14-year-old tribal girl was found hanging from a tree in Dumka, with her mother saying that she was raped and killed.  Several organisations, including the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) and the National Commission for Women, are currently looking into the two prior cases in Dumka (NCW).

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