Man Sentenced to Death for Locking His Wife in a Room and Setting Her on Fire Over Her Skin Color By Gabrielle Rockson

A man was sentenced to death in Udaipur, India after brutally murdering his wife by locking her in a room and burning her alive due to the color of her skin.

Kishandas carried out the crime on June 24, 2017, targeting his wife Lakshmi because he believed her skin was too dark, according to reporting by the BBC, Hindustan Times and the Independent. 

On the night of the deadly attack, Lakshmi was given a liquid described as medicine by her husband. He reportedly told her that it would make her skin lighter and applied it to her body.

After she said that the material smelled like acid, he used an incense stick to set her alight. Before leaving her, Kishandas poured the remaining liquid over her body.

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Despite attempting to escape, Lakshmi was locked in the room, according to Hindustan Times. Her husband’s family rescued her and took her to hospital where she later died from her injuries.

Lakshmi detailed the abuse that she suffered in statements to the police before her death, saying that her husband “routinely taunted her being dark skinned” and body shamed her after their 2016 wedding, per the BBC.

“It will not be an exaggeration to say that this heart-rending brutal crime was not just against Lakshmi, but it’s a crime against humanity,” Judge Choudhary said in court, per the BBC.

The judge accused Kishandas of violating his wife’s “trust” and said that throwing the remaining liquid on her was an example of “excessive cruelty.” He added that this was the sort of crime that “cannot even be imagined in a healthy and civilized society.”

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“A young woman in her early 20s was murdered brutally. She was someone’s sister, someone’s daughter, there were people who loved her. If we don’t save our daughters, then who would?” Public prosecutor Dinesh Paliwal told the BBC of the “historic” decision.

The prosecutor presented evidence from 14 witnesses and 36 documents to accuse Kishandas of “repeatedly taunting” his wife, per Hindustan Times.

Kishandas’ attorney Surendra Kumar Menariya told BBC that the victim’s death was “accidental” and claimed there was a lack of evidence. The outlet reported that there are 30 days to appeal the ruling.

PEOPLE has contacted the District & Sessions Court in Udaipur, India for comment.