A 50-year-old woman attempted self-immolation and poured kerosene on an official at the taluk office at Fort on Wednesday, apparently frustrated over bureaucratic apathy.
Suja, who hails from Venganoor, near Kovalam, was taken into custody after being overpowered by other employees who witnessed the incident. The incident occurred around 4.30 p.m. The accused had gone to the revenue section at the office to enquire about the status of an application she had made some years ago to process her land tax.
Delay alleged
“Claiming that the application was being delayed for no valid reason, Suja doused herself in the kerosene she had brought with her. She also poured the kerosene on senior clerk Abhilash, who, she said forced her to frequent the office. She was overpowered before she could light a match-stick she had,” a police official said.
Soon after the incident, Suja was taken to the General Hospital after she complained of uneasiness. Though the Fort police have registered a case, her arrest was yet to be recorded.
The incident bore striking similarities to the case in which the Vellarada village office was set afire by a 55-year old rubber-tapping worker a year ago, owing to the alleged delay in mutation of his property.
