Nobody has been arrested so far, the police said (Representational)
A woman at a village in Gujarat sustained serious burn injuries after being set on fire allegedly by her neighbours who were angry with the name of her puppy, the police said on Tuesday. The woman had named her dog "Sonu" which, incidentally, is the nickname of one of her neighbour's wife.
The woman, Neetaben Sarvaiya (35), is currently undergoing treatment at a government hospital in Bhavnagar, the police said.
Neetaben Sarvaiya's husband and two children had gone out and she was home with her youngest son on Monday afternoon when her neighbour Surabhai Bharwad and five others barged into her house, the police said. They objected to her naming her puppy "Sonu", which is also the nickname of Bharwad's wife, according to the FIR.
Surabhai Bharwad accused Ms Sarvaiya of deliberately naming the puppy after his wife, the police said.
In her statement to the police, Ms Sarvaiya said that Bharwad abused her but she tried to avoid him and others. As she entered the kitchen, three people followed her. One of them poured kerosene from a container and set her on fire with a matchstick, the police said.
The woman raised an alarm and some neighbours rushed to her house. At the same time, her husband also arrived. They put out the flames using her husband's coat.
According to police, the families of Sarvaiya and her attackers had fought in the past over the issue of water supply. However, that matter was resolved amicably.
The police have registered an FIR against six people under various sections of the Indian Penal Code for "attempt to murder", "trespassing", "insult" and other charges.
Nobody has been arrested so far, the police said.