Lucknow: A woman and her daughter set themselves on fire in front of the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister’s Office here allegedly over police inaction in a land dispute case in Amethi.
The mother-daughter duo sustained burn injuries and were admitted to the civil hospital where their condition was said to be critical, police said.
The incident took place at around 5.40 pm on Friday in the state capital’s high-security zone as it houses the assembly as well as the Lok Bhawan — the office of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
The police personnel posted there swung into action as they saw the women engulfed in flames and rescued them, they said.
A video of the incident went viral on social media.
“They had some dispute in the Jamo area in Amethi. They had come here but didn’t approach anyone and instead tried to immolate themselves in front of Lok Bhawan,” a senior police officer said.
“We are probing the matter,” the officer added.
Meanwhile, the Amethi police suspended three policemen in connection with the incident.
The Lucknow police, however, said the women were instigated by Congress leader Anoop Patel to set themselves on fire as part of a “criminal conspiracy” and a case has been filed against him along with three others.
According to Lucknow civil hospital authorities, the woman sustained 90 percent burns and is on life support, while her daughter is stable.
“Three policemen including the in-charge SHO of Jamo police station in Amethi have been suspended. The matter is being probed by the additional superintendent of police and action will be taken once the report comes,” Amethi Superintendent of Police Khyati Garg said on Saturday.
No suicide note was recovered from Safia or her daughter Gudia, she said.
Garg and Amethi District Magistrate Arun Kumar said Safia (55) had a dispute with her neighbour over a drain and the two had even exchanged blows in the past.
Dr. Ashutosh Dubey, medical superintendent of Shyama Prasad Mookerji Civil Hospital, Lucknow, told PTI, “The mother has sustained 90 percent burns and is in a serious condition. Her daughter sustained 15 percent burns and is stable. The mother has been put on life support.”
Lucknow Police Commissioner Sujeet Pandey said prima facie it appears that the incident was part of a conspiracy.
“It is a criminal conspiracy as part of which some people instigated them (Safia and her daughter). A case has been registered against four people — Aasma, Sultan, Kadir Khan (Amethi district president of AIMIM) and Anoop Patel (former Congress spokesperson) — in this regard,” he said.
The women were told to come to Lucknow and try to set themselves on fire so that their grievances can be highlighted and the dispute resolved, he said.
Pandey said, “We have evidence to show that these women went to the UP Congress office and met Anoop Patel.”
A reporter in Lucknow was contacted and asked to highlight the issue. The reporter has also admitted to this, he said.
“Anoop Patel clearly instigated them to make an effort to set themselves afire so that their matter could be heard,” he said.
