A 28-year-old Dalit man succumbed to his injuries on Friday at the King George Medical University (KGMU), after he set himself on fire outside the Unnao district police chief’s office on December 27, alleging police inaction on his complaint, as per officials, as HT reported.
The incident occurred around 2 p.m. Wednesday when Srichandra poured kerosene on himself and ignited it. Police personnel present at the scene extinguished the fire by covering him with a blanket and rushed him to the district hospital.
The police stated that the man sustained 80% burns in the incident. Srichandra had accused Purwa circle officer Deepak Singh of colluding with his neighbours to shield three of the six men he had filed a complaint against on October 18.
Unnao’s Additional Superintendent of Police (Addl SP) Akhilesh Singh stated that all necessary police arrangements were made, and the post-mortem will be conducted in Lucknow.
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The case stemmed from a longstanding dispute over a 400-square-yard plot of land between the Dalit man and his neighbours.
The victim’s family accused the neighbours of attacking them with axes and sharp-edged weapons on October 18, causing injuries to his father and uncle. Despite naming six individuals in his police complaint, the FIR was lodged against only three.
Speaking after his self-immolation, the Dalit man alleged that the police officer orchestrated a counter-complaint by his neighbours against him and his relatives on October 24.
Expressing exhaustion due to ongoing harassment and police manipulation, the Dalit man stated to reporters that despite complaining to senior officers, nothing was done by the police to protect them.