Hyderabad man sets self ablaze after in-laws separate him from wife, dies

Hyderabad: A 25-year-old man died on Thursday, a day after he set himself on fire accusing his in-laws of separating him from his wife in view of their inter-caste marriage, police said.

Srikanth set himself on fire in Hyderabad on Wednesday midnight and was immediately shifted to a hospital, where he died around 2 PM Thursday, police said adding he suffered 90 per cent burns in the incident.

In a video taken before setting himself on fire, Srikanth accused his father-in-law, and other members of his wife's family of harassing him and his family by filing false cases against them and taking his wife away last year on the pretext of delivery, they said.

"They all are responsible for my death," he is purportedly seen saying in the video.

He further alleged that his in-laws forced his wife to abort the unborn child.

This is the second death of a scheduled caste man following inter-caste marriage in Telangana.

A scheduled caste Christian man was allegedly killed in Nalgonda district last week in an incident suspected to be honour killing and police had arrested seven people including his father-in-law, who was opposed to the marriage.

Srikanth and the woman, belonging to different castes were in love and got married in 2015.

They lived together till 2017 after which the woman has been staying with her parents, they added.

As many as four cases were registered against Srikanth in Nalgonda district, by his in-laws.

Alleging that false cases were registered against his family members by Shanmukhachary, Srikanth's father sought stern punishment for the accused.

Police said a case of abetment to suicide was registered in this connection and investigation is on.