A man tried to set himself on fire outside the Municipal Commissioner’s office on Monday afternoon, protesting the demolition of a public toilet.
The incident occurred at the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) headquarters in Fort around 1.30 p.m. The man doused himself with kerosene but was rounded by the security immediately and handed over to the Azad Maidan police. There was chaos for 5-10 minutes as several public representatives and media persons gathered at the spot.
“As part of an SRA scheme, a public toilet in Ghatkopar was to be demolished. Our local ward office has given permission for it since as per rules, the builder has agreed to construct another toilet. But the man claimed that the other toilet is much smaller than the existing one and therefore an attempt to cheat the slum-dwellers and drive them away,” a civic officer said.
The BMC has now stopped work on the demolition and will re-inspect the matter. The toilet will be demolished after adequate arrangements are made, it claims.
