TIRUCHY: Tension ensued in Kumbakonam on Thursday after a man attempted to burn his wife by pouring diesel on her in a public place over a family dispute. The locals attacked the man and rescued the woman with burn injuries.
Rajkumar (40), a driver from Keezhavasal in Thanjavur, and his wife Vinodhini (34) live separately due to an ongoing marriage dispute. Vinodhini had left him and was living in her paternal home at Keezha Kanjamedu near Papanasam, and she was working in a tea stall at Kabisthalam.
In such a backdrop, on Wednesday night, Vinodhini was returning home after her regular work. While she was walking along the Kumbakonam road, Rajkumar arrived there, intercepted her and asked her to go with him. This triggered an altercation between the couple.
As the altercation intensified, Rajkumar took a bottle of diesel and poured it over her and set her on fire. As the fire spread all over her body, she cried for help. Upon hearing the noise, the passersby rushed to the spot and rescued her with severe burns.
The people also caught hold of Rajkumar and attacked him, in which he sustained severe injuries. Based on the information, the Kabisthalam police rushed to the spot and took them to the Kumbakonam Government Hospital, where they have been undergoing treatment for severe injuries. A case has been registered, and further investigations are under way.