Mysuru: A woman from city was allegedly burnt to death by her alcoholic husband who was pestering her to bring dowry from her parent’s house.

The incident occurred in Tumakuru on July 5 and has come to light now following the death of the woman who battled for survival at a hospital in Bengaluru.

The victim has been identified as 21-year-old A.K. Juneira Banu, daughter of S.A. Abdul Khaleem, a resident of Rajivnagar in city. Abdul Khaleem, a retired KSRTC conductor, has two daughters and a son. Juneira is his youngest daughter. She was given in marriage to 40-year-old Mohammad Ismail from Tumakuru and he is  a distant relative of the family. The marriage took place a year ago and Abdul Khaleem said that a grand function was arranged on the marriage day as Juneira was his pet daughter.

“When we enquired about Mohammad Ismail before the marriage, everyone gave a favourable opinion about him and we did not suspect anything. A week into the marriage, my daughter telephoned me and asked me to take her back to Mysuru from Tumakuru as she was not able to bear Mohammad’s torture. He was an alcoholic and used to beat her for money,” said Abdul Khaleem.

Narrating his daughter’s plight, Abdul Khaleem said that he went to Tumakuru and brought her back to Mysuru and told her to adjust in the marriage. “When she was in Mysuru, my son-in-law called her up and threatened to commit suicide if she does not return immediately. Knowing his wayward ways and cruelty, my daughter rushed back to Tumakuru,” he said.

Not learning from many family interventions and mutual talks, Mohammad continued to torture her for dowry and was assaulted almost daily. “He was a cruel person and used to inflict wounds on Juneira’s body. She used to silently bear his excesses and sometimes used to tell us about her ordeal,” Abdul Khaleem said.

He said that on July 5, when Juneira was doing her namaz with her head bent down on the floor, Mohammad hit her head with an iron rod from behind. Seeing Juneira collapsing, Mohammad poured kerosene and set her on fire. He showed no mercy when Juneira was screaming for help.

“My daughter was begging for help and Mohammad was standing in the next room and laughing. Hearing her cries, neighbours broke open the door and rushed my daughter to hospital in Tumakuru,” Abdul Khaleem said.

Juneira’s husband then called up her family in Mysuru and told them that she had attempted suicide by setting herself ablaze. “We immediately rushed to Tumakuru hospital and on our way, Ismail’s brother telephoned us and told us that Juneira was being shifted to Victoria Hospital, Bengaluru for advanced treatment,” he added.

“My daughter battled for life and died on July 6 at Victoria Hospital. It was hard to see my daughter with burns all over and seeing her condition, her mother fainted. Her husband was at the hospital in an inebriated state,” Abdul Khaleem said.

Juneira’s body was brought to Mysuru and the last rites were performed on the same day at the Muslim burial grounds near Tipu Circle.