Indian woman 'set on fire by policemen' dies in Uttar Pradesh

Officers accused of humiliating her and setting her on fire

Protests have been rife over the years in India over the treatment of women with this group chanting: 'Change your ways or be ready to take our blows' (Sanjay Kanojia/AFP/Getty Images)

A woman who claimed she was set on fire by two policemen inside a police station when she refused to pay them a bribe has died in hospital.

Neetu Dwivedi, 40, from the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, told a magistrate before her death how her husband had been taken in by officers for questioning in relation to a crime.

When she arrived at the station to see about his release, Mrs Dwivedi said the two policemen asked her for 100,000 rupees (£1,017) if she wanted to see her spouse go free.

In her dying declaration to the magistrate and local reporters, the woman alleged that, when she refused, the men abused and humiliated her before setting her alight, leaving her with 80 per cent burns.

She was admitted to a Lucknow hospital after the incident in Barabanki town yesterday but lost her fight for life and was pronounced dead this morning.

The two officers in question have since been suspended, although both policemen insist that, in a state of anger, the woman set fire to herself.

Authorities say an official inquiry will now take place.

Seeking justice, Mrs Dwivedi’s son, who is a journalist, told local media the only way his mother will rest in peace is if anyone with responsibility for her death are punished.

This incident has come barely a month after a journalist, Jagendra Singh, was reportedly burned alive after publishing allegations of corruption and land grabs online against a local politician.