After loss in Uttar Pradesh polls, Samajwadi Party worker attempts suicide by self-immolation

A worker of the Samajwadi Party (SP) allegedly attempted self-immolation outside the BJP party office in Kanpur, following the news of the party’s defeat in the UP Assembly election, the police said.

SP’s Kanpur district president Dr Imran said that Narendra Singh took the step because he felt the party lost the state Legislative Assembly election to the BJP due to irregularities in electronic voting machines (EVM).

A businessman, Narendra Singh suffered 30 per cent burn injuries and is undergoing treatment at a civil hospital. The doctors have stated that his condition is critical.

The station house officer (SHO) of Hazratganj police station, Shyam Babu Shukla, said the SP worker had been admitted to a hospital. In the initial investigation, it came to fore that Narendra Singh was upset with the Samajwadi Party's loss and that is why he decided to take the extreme step, the SHO said.

After hearing that the BJP was winning the election for the second consecutive time, Singh came outside the Vidhan Bhawan carrying petrol in a bucket, said the police. He poured it on himself and set himself on fire, said the police. A video of the incident went viral on social media. The police present on the spot rushed Surendra Singh to a hospital.