In a shocking incident, a man in his early 30s tried to immolate himself on Wednesday afternoon opposite the high security zone Sansad Bhavan premises, the police recovered a singed note from the victim, identified as Jitendra. It hints at Uttar Pradesh’s government’s inaction in a case relating to the Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe Act.

An official of the Delhi Fire Service said that a call regarding the incident near the Railway Bhawan opposite the  Sansad Bhavan was received at around 3.35 pm on Wednesday, and a fire tender was pressed into service.

The security personnel deployed near Sansad Bhavan rushed the man identified as Jitendra, a resident of Baghpat in Uttar Pradesh, to the Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital. “He set himself on fire at the roundabout near Rail Bhawan. The local police and railway police along with some people immediately extinguished the fire and the person was sent to the hospital,” an official statement said.

According to initial investigations, the man took the extreme step due to a dispute with some individuals back home in Baghpat. A note addressed to the National Commission for Scheduled castes (NCSC) recovered from the victim, states that some people harassed the women of Jitendra’s family and also hurled casteist slurs at them. The note also mentions that his family members received death threats, and that the police were not registering any case against the accused.

Police said Jitendra arrived in Delhi on a train on Wednesday morning. His half-burnt backpack and some other belongings were seized from the spot. A police officer said the man’s family members have been contacted and further investigations were on.

Jitendra has sustained 90 per cent burn injuries with the officials stating that the man is reportedly in ‘very critical’ condition and that he used a petrol-like substance to self-immolate.