Parappanangadi: A 66-year-old man died by suicide by setting himself on fire in front of his family temple in Ayodhya Nagar in the early hours of Saturday. The deceased has been identified as Gangadharan V, a retired court staff from Chiramangalam in Parappanangadi, Malappuram.

According to the FIR filed by the Parappanangadi police, the man arrived in front of the Vallayil Mariyamman temple and set himself on fire around 5 AM on Saturday. The burning body was found by residents who were on their way to the temple.

Pramajesh K P, a member of the Uppunippuram ward, says that the exact cause for the act is not known. However, he said that Gangadharan had issues with the temple committee and the festival held there, which may have led him to take the extreme step in protest.

"This happened on the 8th day of the 9-day festival. Although the event is organised every year, this year it was much grander, spread over 9 days," says Pramajesh. Residents suspect that the move was in protest of the festival. However, he clarified that these were mere speculations.

His family took over the temple during the COVID-19 pandemic, and a committee was formed to oversee its operations. According to Pramajesh, Gangadharan, who had performed poojas and actively participated in the temple's operations before the takeover, withdrew from it afterwards.

Pramajesh says that problems related to temple management may have caused a rift with his family. "Everyone else comes together and cooperates for the temple's events and festivals. But he refused," says Pramajesh. Gangadharan had even begun constructing another temple at his own plot, following the issues with the family temple, he added.

Following his death, the Parappanangadi police have registered a case under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023. According to Pramajesh, forensic officials have collected the samples, and the body will be sent for post-mortem.