Another farmer tries to commit suicide outside Mantralaya in Mumbai, alleges land grab

This is the sixth suicide attempt at Mantralaya in less than three months

Another distressed farmer on Friday resorted to a suicide attempt to draw the state government’s attention to his plight.

To prevent people from jumping off Mantralaya, the government installed a safety net in February.

He tried to end his life by pouring kerosene on himself outside Mantralaya after he was denied entry to the building in the afternoon. This is the sixth suicide attempt at Mantralaya in less than three months.

Gulab Shingari, 56, from Majalgaon taluka in Beed district in central Maharashtra, alleged that local leaders from an opposition party have grabbed his farm land and house, and wanted to meet revenue officials for redressal. Beed is around 400km east of Mumbai. The Marine Drive police have detained Shingari.

After spotting Shingari with a kerosene bottle, the police denied him permission to enter Mantralaya, the administrative headquarters of the state government.

An indignant Shingari poured the liquid and tried to set himself ablaze. The police thwarted his attempt in the nick of time.

He had come to Mantralaya after the local administration in Beed failed to address his complaint. “After we noticed that he was carrying a bottle of kerosene, we alerted our officers and kept a watch on him to avert any untoward incident,” said an officer posted at Mantralaya.

The police are keeping a watch on visitors to Mantralaya as 35 people from various districts had written letters to collectors, threatening to commit suicide near Vidhan Bhavan over various issues.

The government came under severe criticism after an 84-year-old farmer from Dhule district consumed a poisonous chemical outside Mantralaya to protest against the inadequate compensation for his land.

(With inputs from Megha Sood)