Bihar: Two try to immolate themselves in protest against anti-encroachment drive

In Patna, two local shopkeepers tried to immolate themselves in the presence of police and railway officials who were trying to remove encroachments in the area.

Patna: Two shopkeepers tried to immolate themselves in Patna on Thursday in the presence of police and railway officials who were trying to remove encroachments in the area. The incident was reported from the Mehdiganj Gumti in the Alamganj police station area of the city.

As alleged by the people in the locality, the locals were protesting peacefully, when the officials reached and forcefully started vacating the shops in the area. The police also brought a JCB along to clear the encroachments. To show their resistance, two protestors attempted self-immolation after seeing their shop empty. The flames were doused quickly but the two suffered grievous burn injuries and the locals rushed the two victims to the nearby hospital.

The locals alleged that the police kept standing and watching. When people got agitated and pelted stones at the officials present at the spot, the police officials fled the incident spot, the locals alleged.

The victims further claimed that the land belongs to them even though the railway administration is claiming that the land belongs to them. “The land belongs to us, but the railway administration said that this land belongs to the railways. The police who came to vacate the shop do not even have a court order, yet they came to forcibly demolish the shop. They started vacating the shop. To oppose this , two shopkeepers set themselves on fire," a local Ajit Kumar said.

Currently, the condition of both the shopkeepers has been reported to be critical, while their treatment is underway.