The District Court in Saptari has slapped life imprisonment to Bano Khatun alias Mani Bibi, 44, and Nurjaha Khatun, 20, on April 23 for burning alive Najarana Khatun, 22, of Purnipokhari in Rajbiraj Municipality-7. Judge Ram Prasad Adhikari convicted the duo of burning Najarana alive and ordered to confiscate the property of both. Najarana is the daughter-in-law of Bano. Bano and Nurjaha had killed Najarana, who was 7-month pregnant by setting her on fire on March 8, 2014. Police had arrested the duo while they were fleeing the scene on the same day. Najarana succumbed while undergoing treatment at BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences at around 11.25 pm on March 8, 2014. Post-mortem of her body was performed the next day in the same hospital. Father of the deceased Phul Hussein of Madhuban VDC-5 in Sunsari had registered a complaint at the District Police Office on March 9. District Judge Adhikari had sent them in custody for investigation a month later. The deceased's husband is in Saudi Arabia for employment. She has a 2-year-old daughter.

Manohar Kumar Pokharel