Estranged husband sets wife on fire at Kerala's women empowerment scheme meet

Thrissur: A 23-year old woman died after being allegedly set on fire by her estranged husband at the venue of a woman empowerment scheme meeting in Kerala's Thrissur district, police told on Tuesday.

The incident occurred on April 29 at Changallur and the woman succumbed to burns at the Thrissur Medical College Hospital on Monday night, they said.

Jithu had come along with her father to attend a meeting of 'Kudumbashree', a state-run poverty eradication and women empowerment programme, when her husband Viraj came there and suddenly poured petrol on her and set her ablaze, police said.

"The panchayat members and Kudumbashree workers were also present at the meeting when the incident occurred, but none came to help," Jithu's father Janardhanan told a TV channel.

"The woman, who ran out of the meeting venue, was rushed to the hospital here in an autorickshaw, but died late last night," police said.

The couple, married six years ago, have no children and had filed for divorce, police said adding a search was on to arrest the man.