Imphal, November 22 2010: An 18-year-old pregnant housewife was burnt to death allegedly by her husband for not allowing eliminating the unborn baby in her womb.

Police arrested the husband and investigation into the charge levelled against him is in progress.

The woman pregnant of five months identified as Nongthombam Anita (18), wife of N Shanker of Kakyai Mayai Leikai, Bishnupur district under Nambol police station died on November 19 at RIMS Hospital where she was admitted with severe burn injuries after struggling for life since November 10 .

Parental family of Anita alleged that she was burnt by her husband by pouring kerosene over her.

The family claimed that Anita had informed the family before breathing her last at hospital.

A recording of her statement is with the family, they claimed.

They also strongly charged that Anita's husband, Shanker committed the crime after she refused to abort the child in her womb.

He charged that it was not his seed.

The parental family also ruled that mother of Shanker, the in-law of Anita, was also involved in the crime recalling an incident of Anita being tortured by her in-law on charge of stealing a gold ornament of the house.

However, with the recovery of the gold ornament from the house after some days, the matter was subsided but since the incident, there was an unhealthy relation between the parental family of Anita and her husband's family.

Police arrested Shanker on November 19.But they are yet into investigate into the charge level against him of murdering his wife by catching fire after pouring kerosene.

On the other hand, locals of parental house of Anita ransacked and destroyed belonging of the house of Sanker yesterday evening.

Timely intervention of the police prevented major damaged but many people sustained injuries in the police dispersion act.

Villagers of Leimapokpam, the native village of Anita held a meeting today after staging a sit-in protest strongly condemned the alleged excessive meted out by the police.

They also demanded befitting punishment to the woman killers.

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