A popular Punjabi social media influencer, Manjeet Kaur, has died at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) in Chandigarh after undergoing nearly two months of intensive medical treatment for severe burn injuries. The young woman succumbed to her wounds on 26 August following an extraordinary act of violence in which she was abducted, bound to a tree in a woodland area, and set on fire. The tragic death has sparked widespread public outrage across the region and raised serious questions regarding systemic procedural lapses and jurisdictional delays by the Punjab Police.
According to details outlined in the official complaint lodged by the victim’s mother, the harrowing sequence of events began on the night bridging 3 and 4 July. Manjeet was summoned to Sector 34 in Chandigarh by two acquaintances, identified in court documents as Shubhi and Pinda. Upon her arrival, the two individuals reportedly subjected her to a physical assault before forcing her into a waiting vehicle. She was subsequently transported to a secluded forested patch near Morinda in Punjab.
Upon reaching the remote site, the perpetrators bound Manjeet to a tree, doused her in flammable liquid, and set her alight before fleeing the scene. A third acquaintance managed to locate the scene shortly afterwards, using a blanket to douse the flames engulfing her body. Emergency services were alerted, and Manjeet was initially taken to a regional facility in Morinda before being transferred to Max Hospital in Mohali due to the severity of her injuries. As her condition deteriorated, she was shifted to the specialized care unit at PGIMER in Chandigarh, where medical personnel fought to save her life for nearly eight weeks.
The investigation has been shadowed by heavy criticism over law enforcement conduct. Relatives and legal representatives contend that while Manjeet was conscious in hospital during the early stages of her treatment and expressed a clear desire to record a formal dying declaration, officers failed to record her statement. It was only after PGIMER authorities notified police posts following her death on 26 August that investigating officers acted. Punjab Police officers subsequently escorted the victim’s mother to the Sector 34 Police Station in Chandigarh, where her formal statement was recorded and a First Information Report (FIR) was registered late on Wednesday night. A post-mortem examination was completed at PGIMER on Thursday before her remains were handed over to her family for final rites.
In response to public scrutiny, Punjab Police officials have denied allegations of institutional negligence. Senior officers maintained that because the initial abduction transpired within Chandigarh’s territorial boundaries, the primary duty for initiating immediate legal action rested with the Chandigarh Police force. State police representatives emphasized that Kharar authorities provided complete assistance to the victim’s family to ensure the FIR was lodged properly. Law enforcement agencies are now preparing to reconstruct the entire sequence of events—from the initial abduction in Chandigarh to the brutal assault in Morinda—while simultaneously reviewing why opportunities to record Manjeet’s statement during her hospitalization were missed.
