Nellai ryot sets himself on fire, runs into collectorate

TIRUNELVELI: In an episode that brought to mind the horror of 2017, when a family of four immolated themselves at the Tirunelveli collectorate, a 36-year-old farmer set himself afire on the banks of the Thamirabharani and ran into the collectorate on Monday.

The man, identified as Sankara Subbu, a resident of Maruthakulam village, was rescued by police and admitted to the Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital (TvMCH) with severe burn injuries. One policeman sustained minor burns on his hands.

“Subbu had a dispute regarding a 1.5-acre parcel of land with his first cousins Pichai Kumar and Muppidathi for the past year. He had filed a complaint with the Moondradaippu police. However, the officials allegedly asked him to approach the court. Meanwhile, a quarrel erupted between Subbu and his cousins on Sunday night. Their relatives called the police control room, and the police asked both parties to visit the police station for an inquiry on Monday morning.

‘Police failed to act on my land dispute complaint’

However, Subbu reached Tirunelveli and attempted to die by suicide,” said sources “Police personnel, including Special Sub-Inspectors A Abdul Hameed and AJP Swaminathapandian, doused the flames. Hameed suffered minor burns on his hand,” sources added.

Speaking to media persons, Subbu said he had filed a complaint with the police long ago, yet the police had failed to conduct an inquiry. A police official said Subbu could have approached the court to resolve the civil dispute.

District Collector KP Karthikeyan told TNIE that revenue officials were conducting an inquiry with Subbu. “We are also checking if any petition has been submitted by Subbu with the district administration,” he added. In 2017, the family of four had resorted to the drastic step and died after being harassed by a moneylender.

(Assistance for those having suicidal thoughts is available on Tamil Nadu’s health helpline 104 and Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050)