A man, reportedly upset over lack of employment for his children, set himself on fire at Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar’s Jan Aashirwad rally in Sonipat on Monday afternoon.
According to the police, a resident of Rathdhana village, Rajesh Kumar poured inflammable liquid on his body and immolated himself at the rally. He has been taken to Rohtak’s Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences where his condition is stated to be critical.
After immolating himself, Rajesh reportedly ran towards the CM’s ‘rath’ but some people managed to get hold of him. Three people reportedly sustained burn injuries in the incident and have been identified as Mukesh of Rathdhana village, Chand of Bega village and Raghubir of Kailana village.
All of them were rushed to the General Hospital at Sonepat immediately where doctors referred Rajesh to Bhagat Phool Singh Medical College at Khanpur due to his critical condition.
According to preliminary reports, Rajesh was disturbed because his children were unemployed. Talking to media persons in hospital, Rajesh claimed he had met the CM a few days ago at Haryana Bhawan, New Delhi, and told him of his children’s unemployment.
Rajesh claimed Khattar had assured him his children would be recruited in Group-D posts. As that didn’t happen, he decided to immolate himself.
Khattar kicked off his statewide tour ‘Jan Ashirwad Yatra’ in a bus from Panchkula’s Kalka on 18 August ahead of Haryana Assembly polls 2019. During it, he will tour all the 90 Assembly constituencies of the state in a 22-day journey till September 8 and will seek blessings from the people for the next five years.
On 8 September, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is going to address a mega rally in Rohtak where Khattar will conclude the yatra.