Worker dies after self-immolation over payment dispute

In a tragic incident, a labourer succumbed to his burn injuries after he had allegedly set himself on fire over non-payment of his dues by a cold storage owner. A case has been filed against the cold storage owner and manager.

Meerut: A labourer, who had allegedly set himself on fire a week ago, died today in Meerut's Safdarjung hospital. The deceased identified as Sonu, a resident of Hasanpur, had allegedly self-immolated himself after he was denied his wages by the cold storage owner.

The victim was working in cold storage and did not receive the payment for several days. He poured petrol on himself and lit the fire.

Sonu, who was initially admitted to Meerut Medical College and Hospital for treatment, was later shifted to Safdargunj hospital after his condition worsened. But he succumbed to his burn injuries yesterday night.

According to local residents, Sonu was upset for the last few days as the cold storage owner Satyaveer Singh did not pay him his dues.

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Talking to ETV Bharat, Senior Superintendent of Police Ajay Sahni said, "Sonu was admitted to Safdarjung hospital and he died yesterday. His uncle Ramesh Chand has filed a complaint against cold storage owner Satyaveer Singh and manager Sanjay Sharma."

On November 2, Sonu had met his owner and after being denied payment, he set himself on fire.

Sonu had repeatedly asked Satyaveer to clear his dues, but the owner did not give a clear answer, prompting the victim to take such a drastic step.

The family of the victim has sought strict police action against the accused.

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