Nagpur: A 27-year-old man was critically injured after he allegedly attempted to jump into the funeral pyre of his lover during her last rites at Shanti Ghat, Kanhan River, on Monday afternoon. The man, identified as Anurag Rajendra Meshram of Hanuman Nagar, Kanhan (Parseoni tehsil), was reportedly beaten by bystanders who intervened to stop him. He is currently in the ICU of a private hospital in Kamptee.

According to New Kamptee Police, the deceased, 19-year-old Anshika Nitin Khobragade, was in a romantic relationship with Anurag. On June 8, Sunday evening, Anshika died by suicide at her home, reportedly due to emotional distress. Her younger sister found her hanging from a ceiling fan and informed the family. She was rushed to a Kamptee hospital but was declared brought dead. A case was registered at Kanhan Police Station under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) based on a complaint by her father, Nitin Khobragade.

Following a postmortem at the sub-district hospital, her body was handed over to the family. Around 4 pm on Monday, during the cremation ceremony at the Kanhan riverbed, Anurag allegedly arrived intoxicated and tried to leap into the pyre. Locals stopped him and reportedly assaulted him, leaving him unconscious.

His father and elder brother later reached the scene with police and shifted him to a hospital. Assistant Commissioner of Police Vishal Shirsagar and Senior Inspector Mahesh Andhale visited both the hospital and cremation site.

Anurag’s family has alleged that he was attacked by Anshika’s relatives. Police have said that further action will be taken after Anurag regains consciousness and his statement is recorded.