Traumatised by the thought of the inevitability of the state bifurcation, a person in the Anantapur district set himself on fire sustaining near fatal burn injuries.
Sugali Mallikarjuna Naik (30), a resident of the Chennampalli village of the Kambadur mandal had reportedly set himself on fire on Sunday in Chennampalli village. The youth participated in the road blockade by the villagers over the issue.
Eyewitnesses told The Hindu at the Anantapur government general hospital, where he has been admitted with over 90 percent burns, said that he suddenly doused himself in Kerosene and threw himself at the fire in broad daylight, in front of everybody.
"It just happened too fast for anybody to prevent him. He has been almost fanatically involved in the protests in the village and nearby villages in the Ramagiri mandal", said Narasimhulu Naik, an eyewitness belonging to the same village.
"He has been so involved in the Samaikyandha protests that he stopped going to work. Despite my pleas to not get emotional over the issue, he has done such a horrific thing to himself", his wife said.
Meanwhile, the District Public Relations Officer P Thimmappa, on behalf of the ADJAC, told The Hindu that the injured would be shifted to the Osmania general hospital at Hyderabad immediately, with active involvement and help of the district collector D.S.Lokesh Kumar.
