In brief
A court in Udaipur, India, has sentenced Kishandas to death for burning his wife, Lakshmi, alive in a deeply disturbing case connected to colourism. Lakshmi had reported her husband's continuous taunts about her skin tone. The judge described the murder as a 'crime against humanity,' reflecting India’s pervasive societal issues related to skin colour.
This article contains details some people may find distressing.
A court in India has given the death penalty to a man for burning alive his wife over her skin colour.
In her statements before her death, Lakshmi had said that her husband Kishandas routinely taunted her for being dark skinned.
District Judge Rahul Choudhary in the northern city of Udaipur explained the death penalty saying the murder fell in the category of rarest of the rare and it was a crime against humanity.
Kishandas's lawyer stated that his client was innocent and that they would appeal against the order.
Lakshmi’s murder eight years back and the judgement, delivered at the weekend, have made headlines in a country where public obsession with colourism is well documented.
The attack on Lakshmi took place on the night of 24 June 2017, according to the court order.
The judge's order described Kishandas's actions as brutal, stating he broke her trust and showed excessive cruelty. He had applied a brown liquid to her body, claiming it was a medicine to lighten her skin, and then set her on fire.
Prosecutor Dinesh Paliwal called the verdict historic and expressed hope that it would serve as a cautionary tale against such inhumane acts.
The case underscores ingrained societal preferences for lighter skin in India, contributing to discrimination and violence against those with darker complexions. Campaigners are working to challenge these deep-rooted biases, but significant obstacles remain.
