Woman's neighbour pours petrol, son sets her on fire amid court-ordered eviction

A woman and two others, including a police officer, sustained burn injuries after she was set on fire while her family protested a court-mandated possession of a disputed piece of land in Jharkhand's Chatra district.The injured were identified as Reena Devi, her son, Dheeraj Kumar, and Assistant Sub Inspector Praveen Singh. They were immediately taken to a nearby government hospital.After initial treatment, Reena Devi and Dheeraj were referred to the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Ranchi.The incident occurred when a court team, accompanied by police personnel, reached the disputed property to enforce an order granting possession of the plot to one Vijay Agrawal. According to the court team, litigation over the property dates back to 1988. The legal battle between Agrawal and Reena Devi ended with a verdict in the former's favour.Reena Devi challenged the decision in 2006, but lost the appeal as well. The court later directed that possession of the property be handed over to Agrawal. The court team and police reached the site to implement the order. As the possession proceedings began, tensions escalated between the two parties.Reena Devi's neighbour, Karan Yadav, allegedly poured petrol on her and her other son, Raj Kasera, purportedly set her on fire. Police have launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident.Three hockey sticks hidden inside an under-construction house at the site were also recovered by the police. Court official Gangadhar Jaya said the encroachment was eventually cleared despite the adverse incident.Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Sunny Vardhan said Reena Devi's side attempted to obstruct the court-ordered eviction.According to the official, ASI Singh was injured while trying to save the woman.A large police contingent was deployed in the area following the incident. Senior police officials reached the spot and reviewed the situation.Vardhan stated that the incident is being investigated, and further action will be taken based on the probe's findings.- Ends(Based on inputs from Sunil Kumar)Published On: Sep 3, 2026 08:48 IST