Man attempts self-immolation at mini secretariat in Rohtak

An elderly man -- Balwan Singh of Kansala village here -- attempted self-immolation at the mini-secretariat here on Wednesday, citing lack of action on his complaint pertaining to irregularities in the MNREGA job cards. He has been admitted with burn injuries to the PGIMS where his condition is stated to be out of danger.

The incident took place when Deputy Commissioner (DC) Dhirendra Khadgata, along with other officials, was listening to public grievances at Samadhan Shivir.

Balwan, standing outside the shivir, set himself on fire after pouring kerosene on himself. Other complainants present on the spot immediately came to his rescue and doused the flames.

On getting information about the incident, the DC reached there and instructed the officials to send him to PGIMS immediately for treatment.

Meanwhile, the DC said it seemed that the complainant made this attempt to mount pressure on the district authorities.

“The complaint regarding MNREGA job cards was investigated by the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Zila Parishad. For detailed investigation, the Chief Executive Officer had written a letter to the Lokpal in this matter. On February 25, the complainant had given a letter to the Chief Executive Officer to withdraw his complaint,” he added.

The DC assured that the district administration would provide counselling to Balwan to understand the reasons behind his drastic action. "Furthermore, if the complainant wishes for a reinvestigation of his complaint, the administration is willing to conduct the investigation internally. We will also recommend the MNREGA Lokpal to look into the matter," he added.