M A I N   N E W S

Immolation bid against police harassment

LUCKNOW, Jan 18 (PTI) — Barely a week after a Sikh youth committed suicide before the state assembly here, a man today tried to immolate himself in protest against alleged police atrocities.

The police said 44-year-old Jai Ram Makhija set himself afire in the Arya Nagar locality of the state capital.

He was rushed to King George’s Medical College with 70 per cent burns where his condition was said to be critical, KGMC Superintendent-in-Chief Dr Gurmeet Singh told PTI.

Circle Officer, Naka Hindola police station Ved Prakash Singh, under whose area the locality falls, said an FIR had been filed by a neighbour of Makhija against his wife Sarita and two others in a case of cycle theft and the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

Although the cycle was recovered after some time and the other two accused arrested, police raids and harassment of the family continued on the pretext of nabbing Sarita who had absconded, Makhija family members alleged.

Makhija, a waiter in a local restaurant, even approached the SSP complaining of harassment, who asked him to obtain an anticipatory bail, the family members said.

However, Makhija lost all hope and took the extreme step today, they added.

NEW DELHI: Annoyed over denial of permission to meet the Prime Minister, a youth tried to immolate himself in front of Atal Behari Vajpayee’s residence on Tuesday.

However, policemen prevented him from setting himself afire police sources said.

The youth, who has been detained by the local police, has been identified as Vinay Kumar Jha, a resident of the Gandhi Nagar area of East Delhi, they said.

According to preliminary information, Jha wanted to meet the Prime Minister after he was prevented from flying to Dubai from Indira Gandhi International airport here due to an “adverse report” pending against him in Gandhi Nagar police station, the sources said.

However, officials of the Special Protection Group posted at the Prime Minister’s house denied him permission and asked him to take up the matter with authorities concerned, the sources said.

As the officials advised him to leave any memorandum addressed to the Prime Minister, the youth doused himself with kerosene from a bottle he was carrying.

However, policemen caught him before he could set himself afire, the sources said, adding he was later detained and taken to RML Hospital for the mandatory medical check-up.

Murder ruled out in Anju case

NEW DELHI, Jan 18 (PTI) — The Delhi police today ruled out the murder angle in the death of Anju, wife of television producer, Suhaib Illyasi of crime serial “India’s Most Wanted” fame, with the final autopsy report concluding that the two wounds found on her body were self-inflicted and suicidal in nature.

“The final post-mortem report which was received by us today concludes that the two wounds found on her (Anju’s) body were self-inflicted and suicidal in nature,” Joint Commissioner of Police R.K. Niyogi said.

“In view of the autopsy report we have decided not to register murder case against anyone,” he said.