Bengaluru: Couple threatened to self-immolate if civic body demolish their house, rescued | Watch video

A couple in Bengaluru on Wednesday stood in front of a bulldozer, threatening to set themselves on fire if their house was demolished as the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) continued its demolition drive to remove structures that illegally blocked the city's drainage.

The BBMP was carrying out a demolition drive at the SR layout of KR Puram in the northeastern part of the city when the team came across the couple.

As the bulldozer approached, the couple screamed that they would set themselves ablaze. In a viral video, they are seen clinging to the wall outside their residence, with one of them holding a bottle of petrol.

They are also seen pouring petrol on themselves when the policemen and their neighbours grip them and pull them up. Later, water was sprayed and poured on the couple as they were ready to light a match.

The couple, identified as Sona Sen and Sunil Singh, have accused the administration of trying to leave them homeless. They have further claimed that they had documents to prove that their home was legal.

However, the civic body has claimed that the couple's house is one of the six in the area that have been built partially on a storm water drain.