Inter-faith marriage: Kin set couple house on fire in Burhanpur

INDORE: Two weeks after a woman married her neighbour belonging to a different religion in Nagjhiri area of Burhanpur, her family members on Saturday reached the newly-wed couple’s house and set it on fire.
The accused burnt a car kept in garage of their house to set the building on fire. A major accident was averted since a gas cylinder kept in the car did not explode.Police reached the spot immediately since they were already aware of the communal clash which was on for the past 15 days.
A huge force was sent to the area to make sure that clash doesn’t break out. Senior officials, too, reached the spot and arrested the accused, including the girl’s father and brothers. Police said that no one was injured in the incident.
“The family members of the woman had registered a missing complaint when the couple had run away. She was found in Maharashtra with the groom. They produced proof of their marriage after which their statement was also recorded. The family was made aware about it,” Burhanpur SP Pankaj Shrivastav told TOI adding that today’s incident was sudden and they might have entered into another scuffle.
Before the incident the accused allegedly told a doctor, who owned a clinic in the adjoining building, that they were setting the house on fire and asked him to move out. He was scared and rushed out of the clinic after which the accused reached the garage.
The residents of the area were scared to come out of their house. “We were standing nearby the building when they came and asked the doctor to move away as they were setting the car on fire. It was really scary. Police should take strict action against the accused,” said a neighbour on condition of anonymity.