A Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader hugged during a television election debate by a "human torch" has died of burn injuries, his family said on Saturday.
The politician died late on Friday in a hospital, his family told AFP, after suffering burns to 75% of his body when a member of the audience doused himself in petrol and grabbed him.
The local leader of the BSP, Kamruzzama Fauji, and his attacker were engulfed in flames in front of the horrified audience as the television debate was being recorded for broadcast later. The attack occurred as Doordarshan was recording the debate for broadcast later.
Read:Man who self immolated and hugged BSP leader dies
The programme was being recorded in a park in Sultanpur, a town 160 km from Uttar Pradesh state capital Lucknow.
Fauji's attacker, who suffered 95% burns, died shortly after the incident, police said.
Police have not come up with any motive for the attack on the politician who was a father of nine children.
But Khalikurzama, the elder brother of Kamruzzama, called the attack "politically motivated" and demanded "a proper probe".
The Lok Sabha elections election, the world's biggest, will end on May 16 with results. The show on Monday which featured five local politicians was just ending when the attack took place.
{{/usCountry}}The Lok Sabha elections election, the world's biggest, will end on May 16 with results. The show on Monday which featured five local politicians was just ending when the attack took place.
{{/usCountry}}Two other local politicians on the show suffered minor burn injuries while trying to douse the flames engulfing the two other men.
"This man suddenly came on the stage, poured petrol on himself and set himself on fire before tightly hugging one of the political guests," photographer Pankaj Kumar Gupta told AFP after the incident.