<b>Woman pining for Jaffna sets herself ablaze</b>

Sandasen Marasinghe - The Island

A young wife who wanted to visit Jaffna, her home town, burned herself to death on July 27, when her husband was unable to accompany her there.

The deceased Wijayakumar Nithla (19) was a resident of Anderson Road, Negombo and she died at the Colombo National Hospital.

Nagaraj Wijayakumar (26) of Anderson Road, Negombo a driver of a three-wheeler at the inquest said that the deceased was his wife. They had been married for five years and had no children. They came from Jaffna. After marriage he went to England for employment and came back one and half years ago.

"She often asked me to take her to Jaffna and one day I promised her to take her there within a week, but I couldn’t. Later, on July 22, I suggested to her to go there on her own on the date of the Kovil ceremony. But she reminded me of my promise and insisted that I take her as soon as possible. Then I asked her to give me two more weeks to keep my promise. At about 12 p.m. on the day concerned. She went to kitchen to make some tea and I heard her shouting. When I rushed there she was covered in flames and my sister and father too rushed to the scene. During my attempt to extinguish the fire my hands too got burned. Then she was taken to the Negombo Base Hospital and from there she was transferred to the Colombo National Hospital where she died," Nagaraj said.

He said that his wife had poured kerosene oil and set herself on fire from the gas cooker.

Anton Nirmala (38) of Luwis Road, Negombo at the inquest said that the deceased was her eldest daughter of three children. She married as a result of a love affair at the age 14 without her consent. She studied upto grade six in school. After marriage her son-in-law went abroad for employment. But she didn‘t go to visit her daughter. She stayed with her mother-in-law. On July 22, Nirmala came to know of her daughter’s mishap and went to visit her at the hospital. The daughter told her that she burned herself as she was discovered that her husband hadn’t take her to Jaffna.

The Colombo City Coroner, Edward Ahangama, returned a verdict of suicidal death due to burn injuries.

PC Wickremasinghe (18703) of Negombo Police led evidence.

- The Island -