To prove challenge that ‘she could die for her lover’, girl sets herself on fire, dies

Bijnor: A lover’s challenge proved fatal for a 19-year-old Bijnor girl who, in order to prove that she can die for him, poured kerosene and set herself on fire. Suffering 80% burn injuries, she was first taken to the district hospital here and later referred to the Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi when her condition deteriorated. She died on Thursday morning after battling for her life for the past eight days.An FIR has been registered against the youth at Noorpur police station in Bijnor under section 306 (abetment to suicide) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
According to police sources, the girl, Mushkan, a resident of Noorpur in Bijnor had an affair with Faisal Sheikh, 22, who lives in Salempur village under Kanth police station of Moradabad. On the night of May 31, Sheikh had asked Mushkan over the phone if she loved him enough. To this, the girl replied that she could die for him. When Sheikh reportedly made fun of her statement, she took the extreme step in a bid to prove him wrong.
The girl’s uncle Abdul Kayyum said, “We have some relatives living at Salempur village in Moradabad. My niece had gone there two years ago and met Sheikh. They used to talk regularly over the phone. On May 31, around 11 pm, Sheikh instigated Mushkan to set herself on fire. We were asleep when the incident took place. By the time we saw her, she had suffered severe burn injuries. She was first taken to the district hospital and later referred to the Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi where she died.”
According to station house officer (SHO) of Noorpur, Saatendra Kumar Singh, a case has been registered against Sheikh and he will be arrested soon. “No complaint was registered against the youth prior to the girl’s death,” said another police official, who did not wish to be named.