Poverty-stricken Niranjan Singh (35) of Samgudia village under Kendrapada Sadar police station on Tuesday made an attempt for self-immolation in front gate of the Collectorate here.
The locals with the help of Kendrapada Town police rescued him with critical burn injuries and was later rushed to the district headquarters hospital for treatment where the doctor referred him to the SCB Medical College and Hospital for treatment as his health condition deteriorated, informed Town police station IIC Sanjeev Kumar Mohanty.
According to Mohanty, Niranjan lost his mental balance as a long standing land dispute was going on with his neighbour, where he failed to get justice. Besides, he was let down after the district administration did not fulfill its promise to engage her wife as an ASHA.
Niranjan’s mother-in-law was a traditional dhai who died in 2014. His wife Ranjita Singh was assured to be engaged as an ASHA. But that never materialized.
Niranjan on Monday had knocked the door of the district Collector’s grievance cell, but the district administration denied him to engage his wife as ASHA. Consequently, he made an attempt to set him on fire by pouring kerosene on her body.