The tragic story of the husband who set his wife on fire at Meegahawatte

It is difficult to even imagine that such a horrific tragedy could be hidden under the shadow of a family built on love and trust.

On the eighteenth of last May, in a shop in the Meegahawatta area of Angoda, her own legal husband, who inhumanely set fire to his wife's body by pouring petrol on her, was arrested by the Mulleriyawa Police, shocking the entire society.

Currently, that unfortunate woman is fighting a fierce battle between life and death in the Intensive Care Unit of the Colombo National Hospital with severe burn injuries to her face and chest. It is fateful that despite unbearable pain, she had enough strength left to give a statement to the police about her husband's cruelty.

The suspect in this horrific crime is a forty-one-year-old trishaw driver residing in Meegahawatta, Angoda. According to residents, he is an ordinary person who had not been accused of any crime before. The nest of this couple, who had legally separated from their first marriages in the past and united hoping for a new life, was burnt down due to the husband's strong suspicion and family disputes. He has confessed to the police that his wife was having other relationships and that despite his repeated warnings, she would not return home for days and behaved immorally. On that day, around 5:30 PM, he arrived in a trishaw, instantly poured petrol on his wife's head, set her on fire, and fled, which was recorded by nearby security cameras.

The police have already taken into custody the petrol bottle used in the crime and the trishaw, and the arrested suspect is scheduled to be produced before the Aluthkade No. 08 Magistrate's Court today (24). Although he states that he had planned to commit suicide after committing this crime, it is a serious question how anger and suspicion can drive a person to such an inhumane state. This incident clearly illustrates how far misunderstanding and violence have progressed within family structures in society.

Even though the flames lit by the hands that once loved her have died down, her burnt life and their family relationship have turned to ashes, beyond any possibility of recovery.