Indore\Mhow (Madhya Pradesh)
A 45-year-old man immolated himself in the presence of police personnel during an altercation over a land dispute in Madhya Pradesh's Indore district, police said on Monday.
The man identified as Bhanwar Singh suffered 41 per cent burns in the incident that took place in Simrol town, about 40 km from Indore, on Sunday night, an official said.
Singh and his associates were involved in an altercation with another group over ownership of a plot of land, when a patrolling team of the police reached the scene and tried to pacify the two groups, superintendent of police (SP) rural Bhagwat Singh Birde said.
However, when the dispute escalated despite police intervention, Singh allegedly poured an inflammable substance and set himself on fire, he said.
Singh was rushed to M Y Hospital with burn injuries, he said.
The accused persons had also allegedly attacked a police sub-inspector at the scene, the official said.
According to the FIR registered at Simrol police station, the accused verbally abused the policeman and beat him with sticks, due to which he sustained injuries to his shoulder, back and wrist, he said.
They also smashed the windscreen of the police vehicle, he said.
An offence has been registered against Singh and four of his associates under sections 147 (rioting), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and other relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code, the official said.
Bhanwar Singh’s brother-in-law Tejkaran said that the dispute is over 700 square feet of land on the Simrol-Tincha Fall road (near passenger waiting room), some 20 km from Mhow. He said he had been running a tea stall in that plot for the last 25 years, but Shubham and his family claim it and the matter is going on in court. Tejkaran said that three days ago, Shubham and his supporters came and asked Bhanwar Singh to vacate the plot. They also had an altercation and some members of Bhanwar Singh’s family were injured and they received first aid at the Government Central India Hospital in Mhow.
Tejkaran alleged that the tea shop was vandalised on Sunday by Shubham, Lekhraj, Dinesh, Rajat and others, and when Bhanwar Singh’s nephew Pushpendra protested they tried to run him over by the bulldozer. (With inputs from PTI)
