Harassed by strongman, Dalit farmer sets himself on fire at police station

Bijnor, Apr 16: A 42-year-old Dalit farmer set himself ablaze inside a police station after cops reportedly did not help him regain his land which was allegedly forcibly grabbed by a local strongman. The incident was reported from Mandawar police station on Saturday afternoon.

Police said the farmer sustained 55% burn injuries and was rushed to the district hospital from where he was referred to Safdarjung hospital in New Delhi.

According to reports, Dharamveer Singh was being harassed by one Uday Chauhan who had forcibly acquired his land in Khadar area. Dharamveer had been frequenting the police station for last one year, but his repeated pleas were ignored by cops. On Saturday afternoon, while Samadhaan Diwas was being observed at the police station, Dharamveer reached there and had an argument with cops regarding his case. Soon after, he came back with kerosene oil and set himself ablaze.

"I am a resident of Rajarampur village and had about eight bighah of agriculture land in Khaddar area across the Ganga river. Uday Chauhan grabbed my land forcibly. I had filed complaint against him several times and had been frequenting police station for a year. When police did not feel my pain, I decided to end my life," Dharamveer told reporters at the district hospital.

Circle officer Asit Shrivastava said, "Ganga has been changing its course every year. Due to this, it was very hard to trace the original holdings of all farmers. To justify ownership of the farmers, a survey is being currently conducted. Police have initiated an inquiry into the matter."