A woman died of stab wounds she allegedly inflicted on herself after stabbing her husband as a fight between them turned violent at an apartment in Ahmedabad on Friday, police said. The woman also allegedly set their house on fire during her bid to self-immolate. The deceased woman has been identified as Anita Baghel. Her husband Anil Baghel has sustained injuries and is in hospital, officers added. The couple have two children who were said to have been in school at the time of the incident. Ahmedabad Fire and Emergency Services personnel rushed to the home after they were alerted of a fire at an apartment in Eden V block of Godrej Garden City at around 10.15 am. Divisional Fire Officer Om Jadeja said, “Firefighting teams from Thaltej and Chandkheda reached the site. Upon reaching there, they found the wife lying on the ground floor in a pool of blood. Later, on reaching the fourth floor, where their apartment was on fire, the husband was found lying in a pool of blood." An officer from Chandkheda police station told The Indian Express, "We are yet to ascertain the time of her death. She was unconscious when the ambulance came to pick her and her husband. The husband was fine apart from a few cuts, but was in shock. Both were taken to Sola Civil Hospital. The woman’s body has been taken for post-mortem, and the husband is being treated in the hospital." A case of accidental death has been registered. The police said that according to Anil, the incident occurred after an argument the two had over breakfast escalated. "His wife, in rage, first attacked him, and then stabbed herself. Following this, she turned on the gas line in the kitchen to kill herself, which resulted in the fire. Neither Anil nor Anita had burn injuries," an officer added. According to fire officer Jadeja, neighbours called the 108 ambulance and both the man and woman were shifted to Sola Civil Hospital. When the fire department came, nobody was inside the apartment, he added. A neighbour told The Indian Express that she heard "noises" when doing household chores, but dismissed them as sounds that probably came from children playing downstairs. "In a few minutes, residents living on the floors above were knocking on the door of the couple. Hearing that, I came out and they told me that they saw smoke coming out of the apartment. This was around 9:30 am," the person said. Another resident of the block, who lives on the ninth floor, told The Indian Express that she and a few others tried to call the Baghels and tried opening the door, but they could not. "After some time, Anil Baghel opened the door. The whole apartment was filled with smoke. And Anil asked me to save his wife," the neighbour said, adding, "Anil had blood all over his body." The police said the security guards and neighbours brought Anita, who was unconscious, downstairs. The incident, according to neighbours, might have taken place after their children left for school around 8.30 am. While the couple’s son studies in Class 8, their daughter is in Class 6.
