Court sentences man to death for burning wife alive over skin colour

An Indian court has handed a death sentence to a man, identified as Kishandas, for setting his wife, Lakshmi, ablaze in a shocking case of domestic violence tied to colourism.

According to the BBC, the tragic incident occurred on June 24, 2017, but the verdict, delivered over the weekend, has now reignited discussions around deep-seated discrimination against darker skin tones in India.

Court documents revealed that Kishandas, who married Lakshmi in 2016, persistently mocked her complexion, calling her derogatory names such as “kali” (meaning black), and body-shaming her until the marriage turned violent.

On the night of the incident, Kishandas returned home with a plastic bottle filled with a brown liquid, which he claimed was a skin-lightening product.

Lakshmi later recounted that he rubbed the substance on her body, and when she complained of its strong acid-like smell, he ignited her with an incense stick.

Showing further cruelty, Kishandas emptied the rest of the liquid on her as she burned before fleeing the scene. Lakshmi’s relatives managed to take her to the hospital, but she later succumbed to her injuries.

In his ruling, Judge Rahul Choudhary described the killing as more than just murder, calling it “a crime against humanity.”

He noted that Kishandas “broke her trust” and displayed “excessive cruelty in throwing the remaining liquid on her” while she was on fire.

He said the crime qualified as one of the “rarest of the rare,” adding, “It will not be an exaggeration to say that this heart-rending brutal crime was not just against Lakshmi, but it’s a crime against humanity.”

The judge further declared, “It’s a crime that shocks the conscience of humanity, which cannot even be imagined in a healthy and civilised society.”

The public prosecutor described the ruling as “historic,” expressing confidence that it would serve as “a lesson for others in society.”

He said, “A young woman in her early 20s was brutally murdered. She was someone’s sister, someone’s daughter; there were people who loved her. If we don’t save our daughters, then who would?”

The case has reignited debate on colourism in India, where women with darker complexions continue to endure discrimination and abuse.