The mother of a journalist, who had accused police officials of setting her ablaze at a police station after she refused to give bribe to free her husband, on Tuesday succumbed to injuries following which a magisterial inquiry was ordered into the incident.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav said stern action will be taken against those found guilty in the report.
SP, Barabanki, Abdul Hamid said that the woman admitted to a Lucknow hospital died this morning during treatment.
Though police maintained that the middle-aged woman tried to commit suicide by immolating herself at Kothi Police Station alleging "humiliation and abuse" by police, the victim had charged the police station in-charge and sub-inspector with torching her when she refused to give Rs 1 lakh for the release of her husband.
The woman, whose son is associated with a local Hindi daily, had said in a statement before a magistrate and the media that she was allegedly abused and humiliated when she refused to meet the demand of Rs 1 lakh for freeing her husband.
According to police, Nitu had gone to enquire about her husband Ram Narain, who was taken into custody on Saturday, when the station in-charge Ram Saheb Singh Yadav and sub-inspector Akhilesh Rai allegedly humiliated, abused and chased her away.
In a fit of rage, she allegedly sprinkled petrol and set herself on fire at the gate of the police station, police said, adding that she was rushed to the district hospital in a serious condition from where she was referred to Trauma Centre, Lucknow.
Speaking to reporters after the cabinet meeting, the chief minister said, "A magisterial inquiry has been ordered and stern action will be taken against those found guilty in the report".
As far as action against the policemen is concerned, it has already been initiated and whatever more is required will be done, Yadav added.
The SP has suspended both the policemen against whom cases have been lodged under various sections of the IPC.
Police said Ram Narain was brought to the police station on Saturday night for questioning in connection with firing over an incident of harassment of a girl in Gaha village.
The incident comes barely a month after journalist Jagendra Singh was set on fire allegedly by some UP policemen in Shahjahanpur district.
Singh's family had lodged a complaint with the police against UP minister Ram Murti Verma and five others, including policemen, at Puwayan Police Station.
As channels flashed visuals of the badly burnt woman, opposition parties condemned the incident with BJP demanding a CBI inquiry.
Rejecting the magisterial inquiry ordered by the chief minister, BJP spokesman Vijay Bahadur Pathak said, "How can you expect a just inquiry by state agencies? We demand that a CBI inquiry be ordered to find out the truth."
"We also demand that the bereaved family be given Rs 30 lakh compensation and government job to one person of the family," Pathak said, criticising the law and order situation in the state.
Congress spokesman Dwijendra Tripathi said that both in the murder case of a scribe in Shahjahanpur and also in the Barabanki case, the accused is the police and both the victims were killed after they were set ablaze.
"We have no faith in the state government and the magisterial inquiry is of no use... a CBI inquiry should be ordered," Tripathi said.
The woman had told the magistrate that "No one helped me...They all watched. These people used to harass me often...they poured petrol over me and threw a lighted match stick."
Doctors in Lucknow said that the woman was brought in a very serious condition from Barabanki.
"The CMO of Barabanki had informed us that a woman with 100 per cent burns was being sent to Lucknow and despite all our efforts she did not respond and died around 4 am," they said.
Doctors in Lucknow said that the woman was brought in a very serious condition from Barabanki.
