Aligarh: A 52-year-old man who allegedly set himself on fire near a police outpost in Uttar Pradesh’s Aligarh district has died after suffering severe burn injuries, triggering controversy and raising questions about the circumstances that led to the incident. The deceased, identified as Manoj Verma, was a local driver who reportedly attempted self-immolation near the Khair police outpost on Sunday evening. He later succumbed to nearly 80 percent burn injuries at Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital on Monday.
According to police sources, the incident took place around 4 p.m. on Sunday when Verma allegedly poured an inflammable substance over himself near the old tehsil building in Khair town and set himself ablaze. Eyewitness accounts and CCTV footage suggest that after setting himself on fire, Verma ran toward the nearby police outpost while engulfed in flames, creating panic among police personnel and local residents.
Police officials present at the outpost rushed out immediately after noticing the flames and attempted to douse the fire by covering him with blankets. Despite their efforts, Verma had already sustained critical injuries by the time the flames were extinguished. He was initially rushed to a nearby hospital and later referred to Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi for advanced treatment due to the severity of his burns. Doctors confirmed that he had suffered approximately 80 percent burns, and he eventually died during treatment on Monday.
The incident has drawn significant attention after Verma’s family alleged that he took the drastic step due to harassment by the police in connection with a long-pending case registered under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. According to his relatives, the case was filed nearly two decades ago in 2006 and had remained pending in court. They claimed that a non-bailable warrant had recently been issued against Verma in December last year, and that police had been pressuring him regarding the case.
Verma’s brother, Rajeev Soni, alleged that the police had harassed and assaulted him shortly before the incident. He claimed that Manoj had been distressed due to repeated pressure from the authorities regarding the case. According to the family, Verma had even attempted to contact a police officer on Sunday to lodge a complaint about the alleged harassment, but no action was taken.
However, police officials have strongly denied these allegations. Aligarh Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Neeraj Jadaun stated that there was currently no non-bailable warrant pending against Verma. He also said that during discussions with family members immediately after the incident, they did not initially mention any harassment by the police.
“Verma lived around 150 metres away from the police outpost. In the past, a court may have issued a non-bailable warrant, but there was no such warrant at present,” SSP Jadaun said, adding that the matter is being investigated thoroughly from all possible angles.
Meanwhile, CCTV footage from the area has introduced another dimension to the investigation. According to police sources, the footage shows two unidentified young men arriving on a motorcycle shortly before the incident and briefly interacting with Verma near a shop in the market area. The footage allegedly captures the men handing him an object before leaving the scene.
Investigators also noted that Verma appeared to be in an intoxicated state shortly before the incident. Police suspect that the bottle seen in his possession contained petrol or another inflammable substance, which he later used to set himself on fire.
Authorities have launched a search operation to identify and locate the two individuals seen in the CCTV footage in order to determine whether they played any role in the incident. Police officials stated that statements of witnesses and family members are being recorded as part of the ongoing inquiry.
The incident has sparked concern among local residents, many of whom have demanded a transparent investigation into the circumstances surrounding Verma’s death. Some residents have also questioned whether additional CCTV footage from within the police outpost could help clarify the sequence of events leading up to the self-immolation.
Senior officials have assured that the case will be investigated comprehensively and that appropriate action will be taken based on the findings of the inquiry.
