A 24-year-old man allegedly set himself afire after pouring petrol on himself while travelling in an auto rickshaw in northeast Delhi’s Jyoti Nagar on Sunday night reportedly after a tiff with his girlfriend over the phone. He was carrying the bottle of petrol inside his jacket and his relatives said they have no clue why he was doing so, police maintained.
Police said the man, his cousin and a co-passenger, who were travelling with him in the auto, also sustained burn injuries. “While Shivam got 70% burns, his cousin sustained 20% burns. The third passenger escaped with minor injuries. All three are under treatment,” an officer said.
According to police, the incident took place Sunday night at 9pm when the man, Shivam, identified only by his first name, a resident of Ghaziabad, was travelling to Loni in an auto with his cousin Arjun (24). Police said one Bhagwan Singh (60) was also sharing the ride with the duo.
“Shivam was talking to a woman who lives in Kolkata over phone. It appears they had a tiff after which Shivam was upset. He was carrying petrol in a bottle with him. In a rage, he suddenly poured the petrol and set himself afire with a lighter. The auto driver immediately stopped the three-wheeler and alerted passersby who then reported the incident to the police,” said a senior police officer.
DCP (northeast) Atul Thakur said, “We are yet to register the statement of Shivam as he is critically injured. We have filed a case of attempt to commit suicide and are probing the matter.”