MUMBAI: In an serious case of breach of security and in an incident embarrassing to the Maharashtra government, an unidentified person immolated himself right in front of the state Assembly on Monday evening.
The incident comes at a time when there is heightened security across the state, particularly at important installations and buildings. According to police at around 4.45 p.m., the victim, who is yet to be identified, doused himself with kerosene oil and set himself ablaze.
“By the time the police reached the spot and tried to save him, he had suffered 90 percent burn injuries. He was taken to the nearby hospital, where he succumbed to injuries. His body was later shifted to J.J. Hospital for postmortem,” a police official said.
Reacting to the incident leader of opposition in the Assembly and senior Shiv Sena leader Ramdas Kadam said, “I am sure the victim must be a farmer. Farmers are unsafe under the leadership of the present state government. The government is doing nothing for the poor farmers, so they are coming to Mumbai to commit suicide. The government needs to take measures to stop farmers from committing suicide.”
Meanwhile, in another development, an Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), Awami Bharat, has demanded that American national Ken Haywood, who gave a slip to Indian security agencies, be recalled and a thorough investigation be carried out into his role.
Minutes before the July 26 Ahmedabad serial blasts, the threat e-mail by Indian Mujahedeen, was generated from his computer’s Internet Protocol (IP) address. It may be mentioned here that threat e-mail was received last Saturday in the same fashion through the WiFi connection of Khalsa College in suburb Matunga in Mumbai, thanks to Haywood for his cooperation and guidance.
