High drama as police foil couple’s bid to set themselves ablaze

Bengaluru: Police here on Wednesday said they thwarted a couple’s bid to set themselves afire to protest against civic body’s action of razing down a portion of their building that had apparently encroached upon a stormwater drain.

Following flooding in the city, the civic agency identified many houses, which encroached upon stormwater drains.

One of the houses was at KR Puram, where the residence was encroaching upon at least 2.5 metres of the stormwater drain, narrowing its width.

As the authorities came with policemen and firefighters to tear down the building, the husband and wife poured petrol on their bodies and kept two more cans of petrol near them. The wife holding a matchstick said she would light it and set herself ablaze if anyone demolished their house.

The police initially stood silent for almost an hour and persuaded them not to take adrastic step.

In the meantime, the police and fire fighters brought buckets of water and a water canon. The officials stunned them by splashing water on them from everywhere.

Then the policemen held the couple by their hands, dragged them to the edge of their boundary wall and foiled the suicide attempt.

Meanwhile, the civic authorities said they would not succumb to any pressure when it came to razing down the structures that encroach upon the stormwater drains.

Due to unprecedented rains on August 30 and September 6 and 7, a portion of the city had knee-deep water. They roads resembled a river as commuters had to wade through stagnant water.

The billionaires of the city found their localities flooded. They ran for safety in boats, tractors, leaving their houses open. They saw their luxury cars submerged and electronic goods and expensive furniture destroyed in the rain.