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| Indian woman commits sati, jumps on husband's pyre | | |
Thu Sep 21, 2006
RAIPUR, India - A 95-year-old Indian woman killed herself by jumping on to her husband's funeral pyre, police said on Thursday, following the ancient Hindu custom of sati outlawed in the 19th century.
Kariya Bai, who burnt herself to death on Wednesday, lived in a remote village in Chhattarpur district in Madhya Pradesh.
"We have information that Kariya Bai committed sati in full public view," Inspector General of Police Swarn Singh said. "Senior police officers have rushed to the village to collect more information."
This is the second time within a month that a woman has apparently attempted sati in the state. On September 11, 27-year-old Mithilesh jumped on her husband's funeral pyre but family members saved her.
Sati, an act of devotion which means "faithful wife", was common until it was banned by India's British colonial rulers in 1829.
The practice largely disappeared from public view until 1987 when a young woman dressed in her bridal costume jumped on to her husband's cremation pyre watched by thousands of people, many of whom egged her on.
Her death sparked national outrage and forced the government to ban the glorification of sati, making it an offence punishable with a maximum sentence of seven years imprisonment and a fine of up to 30,000 rupees.
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