A man setting himself on fire near the residence of Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee here on Sunday created a stir, as rumours flew thick and fast that the person was a victim of a fraudulent employment scheme floated by the party.
Although he was rescued, his condition was serious. Ms. Banerjee, at the time, was in New Delhi.
Prasun Dutta, a resident of West Bengal's Hooghly district, had gone to Ms. Banerjee's Kalighat residence in the morning and had chanted slogans, police sources said, about how some of the leaders of the party had become corrupt.
He then headed to the Adi Ganga ghat by the Hooghly nearby and set himself afire but as his body was engulfed in flames, he jumped into the river.
He was pulled out by those around and rushed to the M.R. Bangur Hospital nearby. He had suffered 80 percent burns and later sent to a private hospital in the city, where he is currently undergoing treatment.
The incident threatened to snowball into a major controversy as rumours spread that the man was a supporter of the Trinamool Congress and had been duped by some party leaders, who had promised him a job, but had not kept their word.
The police, however, said that while they had also heard the reports, they had no credible information on the matter.
