A 30-year-old Ahmednagar resident was detained by the Marine Drive police after he allegedly tried to commit suicide outside Mantralaya on Wednesday afternoon.
He was demanding the arrest of Shiv Pratishthan leader Sambhaji Bhide for the Bhima-Koregaon violence in January.
Prompt action
According to the police, the man, Ganesh Pawar, reached Gate 2 of Mantralaya around 3 p.m. and poured kerosene all over himself. “Our personnel posted there had already noticed that his movements were suspicious, and moved in as soon as they saw him douse himself with kerosene. He was taken to the Marine Drive police station,” a police officer said.
Mr. Pawar allegedly told the police that he was fed up due to the lack of action against Mr. Bhide in connection with the Bhima Koregaon riots. He was taken for a medical check-up and brought back to the police station.
Senior police inspector Vilas Gangawane, Marine Drive police station, said, “We have detained Mr. Pawar as preventive action under provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) and will produce him in court on Thursday.”
BBM volunteer?
Mr. Pawar has claimed to be a volunteer for the Bharip Bahujan Mahasangh, led by Prakash Ambedkar. The police are verifying his claims, sources said.
The incident is the latest in the spate of suicides and suicide attempts in and around Mantralaya this year.
On January 22, Dharma Patil, an 84-year-old farmer from Dhule, consumed poison outside Mantralaya to protest against the inadequate compensation for his land, which was acquired by the government for a solar power project. He was rushed to St. George Hospital and later shifted to JJ Hospital, where he died while under treatment.
Less than a month later, on February 8, murder convict Harshal Raote killed himself by jumping off the fifth floor of the Mantralaya. Following the incident, a safety net was installed in the Mantralaya premises.
