Naugaon: A man committed suicide by setting himself on fire while his wife and son were left battling for lives at Garoi village under this police limits in Jagatsinghpur district late Friday night.
Birabara Palei poured petrol over him before lighting himself as his wife and son were sleeping at home. Palei, a Sanskrit teacher of Jagannath High School in the same village, was under severe distress over persistent demand by the in laws of his daughter for dowry.
His mentally unstable wife Manjulata Palei and physically challenged son Bimalbhanu Palei sustained severe burn injuries and were admitted to SCB Medical College and Hospital.
Neighbours alleged he took the extreme step after the in-laws of his daughter demanded an additional Rs 3 lakh and half the money he had in his general provident fund (GPF) account.
The matter came to the fore after neighbours saw smoke billowing from his house. They broke open the door and rescued the three in critical condition. They rushed them in an ambulance to Cuttack where Birabara succumbed during treatment Saturday while his wife and son are still battling for life.
Police registered a case in this connection and started an investigation after recording the statement of his son.
Sources said Birabar’s daughter fell in love with Parthasarathi Sendha, son of Saroj Kumar Sendha in Sagarpachi Chaulia village in Dhenkanal and eventually married him April 18, 2016 much against his father’s wishes. His father gave all dowries according to the demands of the groom’s family.
However, trouble began after the girl’s in-laws rang Birabara over phone and threatened to kill his daughter if he does not pay them an additional Rs 3 lakh and half the money he held in his GPF account. This pushed him into distress which perhaps drove him to take the extreme step.
According to Bimalbhanu, his father was not happy with the marriage and was always in distress. He had brought petrol in a bottle in evening. He said he had hidden the bottle which his father traced and took the extreme step.
PNN
