Thiruvananthapuram: Venugopalan Nair, who immolated himself in front of the BJP’s agitation venue in the state capital, resorted to the extreme step after being fed up with life, according to his dying declaration. There is no mention about the BJP’s stir or Sabarimala in Nair’s statement.
According to Venugopalan, he had lost his wish to live some time ago. The statement was registered by the doctor who attended to Nair as well as the magistrate.
The BJP has called a statewide hartal from 6 am to 6 pm on Friday following Nair’s death. Sabarimala pilgrims have been exempted.
Venugopalan had doused himself with petrol, sparked a fire and ran towards the stir venue of the BJP in front of the Secretariat. He was stopped by party workers and the police. They extinguished the fire and rushed Nair, a native of Muttada in Thiruvananthapuram, to hospital. However, Venugopalan succumbed to his burn injuries by 4 pm on Thursday.
According to the victim’s brothers, he was a devotee of Lord Ayyappa and went on a pilgrimage to Sabarimala every year. However, Venugopalan decided not to travel to Sabarimala this time in view of the violent incidents there, his brothers told the media.
The police too later said that Nair had committed suicide due to personal reasons and do not have any relation to the ongoing agitation over Sabarimala issue.
"The deceased, in his dying declaration given to the Magistrate, said he resorted to the act due to depression and ran frantic towards the protest venue after setting himself afire," the police said in a release.
The police said the man, who used to work as a plumbing and electrician assistant, do not have any political connections.
"This matter is not connected with any ongoing protest over Sabarimala," the police said.
