Panvel police prevent man from self-immolation outside PMC

Panvel City police took custody of Advocate Nagesh Hirve for allegedly trying to sell-immolation outside the Panvel Municipal Corporation (PMC) building in Panvel on Wednesday afternoon. He was demanding that a newly constructed school in Panvel should be named after freedom fighter Hutatma Hirve Guruji Vidyalaya.

According to Hirve, the PMC is closing Hutatma Hirve Guruji Vidyalaya in Panvel and merging students with two other Marathi medium schools to a newly constructed school building. And, the civic body passed a proposal to name the school after late socialist D B Patil. In addition, the civic body is also constructing an English medium school adjoining the new building and passed a similar proposal to name the English school after late socialist D B Patil.

He alleged that earlier the school’s name was after freedom fighter Hutatma Hirve Guruji Vidyalaya. “I have no problem with the name of the English school after the late socialist D B Patil. But the Marathi medium school should be given after fighter Hutatma Hirve Guruji,” said Hirve.

Hirve had submitted a letter to the civic chief and was given a deadline of June 1 to change the name or he would self-immolate outside the civic administration building. After the civic body did not budge on his demand, he reached the civic headquarters and poured kerosene oil and tried to self-immolate. However, the police prevented him from doing that and took him to the police station. After counseling, he was issued a notice under section 309 of IPC and left.

According to Hirve, Hutatma Hirve Guruji had died while fighting for Goa Liberation and removing his name is not acceptable.