Assaulted, Tied To Tree, Burned: Punjab Influencer Dies After 2-Month Battle

In a social media influencer's final Instagram post, her friend asked her followers for patience, promising she would soon tell them, in her own words, what had happened to her. That moment never came. Manjeet Kaur, 28, died on 26 August at PGIMER Chandigarh, nearly two months after she was allegedly abducted, attacked and set on fire.

On 28 July, a post shared jointly with Punjab-based influencer GillMohali gave an update on her condition. In it, he said, "Until Manjeet recovers. Actually, she is 50 per cent recovered now. In 10-15 days, she will go live herself and tell you everything: who it was, what happened, and how it happened. Please don't sit at home and judge. If you can't say anything good about someone, please don't say anything bad. I fold my hands in front of you. Because her family is extremely scared. Manjeet herself is very scared, right? Thinking about what happened to her versus what she had expected."

According to a complaint filed by her mother, Kaur was allegedly lured to meet two acquaintances, named Shubhi and Pinda, near a liquor shop in Sector 34, Chandigarh, on 3 July.

The complaint states the accused forced her into a car and drove her to Morinda in Punjab's Rupnagar district. There, they allegedly assaulted her, tied her to a mulberry tree and set her on fire. A friend reportedly reached the scene and put out the flames using a blanket.

Kaur was first taken to a hospital in Morinda before being moved to Mohali, and was then referred to PGIMER Chandigarh on 9 July owing to the severity of her burn injuries.

She remained unconscious for several weeks. On 5 August, she briefly regained consciousness and reportedly described the incident to her family. Her condition worsened afterwards, and she died on 26 August.

Police have said the motive behind the alleged attack has not yet been established. Kaur was divorced and is survived by her seven-year-old son.

Following her death, an FIR was registered under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Sections 140(1) (kidnapping), 103(1) (murder) and 3(5) (joint criminal liability).

Sector 34 SHO Shadi Lal said the case was registered on the complaint of the victim's mother. Police are conducting raids to trace and arrest the two accused, Shubhi and Pinda, and are examining CCTV footage along with other evidence as the investigation continues.