Supreme Court (File) A 50-year-old man set himself on fire outside the Supreme Court Friday afternoon, with an initial investigation revealing that he used to work at a factory in Noida but hadn’t been paid for three months. Moreover, his employer sacked him recently.
“Eyewitnesses told police the incident took place around 2 pm outside the Supreme Court’s new building, where the man came and set himself on fire. The fire was doused by security personnel and he was taken to Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital (LNJP), where his condition is said to be stable and he is recuperating,” an officer said.
“Doctors have informed that the burns are minor. Only his hair and clothes had caught fire. But he is under observation. He told police in his statement that he worked in an exhaust manufacturing factory in Noida’s Sector 128, and was not getting paid for the last three months,” an officer said.
Police said the man, Rajbhar Gupta, lives near the factory with his wife, two daughters and a son.
Gupta’s daughter, Anjali, told The Indian Express, “My father was working as a security guard at the factory and is the sole breadwinner. For months, he has been asking the management of the factory for his salary. On January 15, he took a leave, following which they fired him from the job. He pleaded with them to take him back, but they misbehaved with him. On Friday morning, he told us he was looking for a new job and left home. But in the afternoon, we received a call and got to know about the incident.”
“We have not informed our mother about the incident. My father told her that he would come back in two days. I have spoken to him and he is stable,” she added.
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