A tragic incident has shaken the Bedakam region in Kasaragod district, Kerala, after a 32-year-old woman, Ramitha C, succumbed to her injuries a week after being set ablaze inside her own grocery shop. The incident occurred on April 8 in Mannadukkam near Munnad, under the jurisdiction of Bedadka grama panchayat. Ramitha had been undergoing treatment at AJ Hospital in Mangaluru for severe burns she sustained above the waist but tragically passed away on Tuesday.
The alleged perpetrator, Ramamrutham (57), a Tamil Nadu native, had been living in the region for over two decades and recently started a furniture business in the shop adjacent to Ramitha’s. Tensions had been escalating after Ramitha lodged a police complaint against him, citing repeated instances of verbal abuse while he was intoxicated and ongoing harassment through persistent, intimidating stares.
On the day of the attack, Ramamrutham allegedly entered Devuttan’s Store, doused Ramitha with thinner, and ignited her using a flaming stick. He was promptly arrested by Bedakam police, initially charged under Section 109(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for attempted murder and Section 326(g) for arson. However, with Ramitha’s death, authorities are preparing to upgrade the charges, likely to include murder.
Ramitha’s husband, Nandakumar, works in a restaurant in Dubai, and the devastating news has sent shockwaves through the local community. The case has reignited conversations around women’s safety, and how prior complaints of harassment are often not taken seriously until they escalate into tragic outcomes.
