A share auto driver sets self ablaze as police denied entry to his vehicle, dies

Chennai: In an unfortunate incident, a share auto driver committed self-immolation as police denied entry to his vehicle to pick up devotees, who have thronged to have darshan at Kanchi Athi Varadar festival.

The deceased has been identified as Kumar( 45) of Karukpettai in Kancheepuram. He owns a share auto, police said. On Wednesday at around 11 am, he came to pick up devotees from Kanchi Varadharaja Perumal temple.

Sources said even though the man had a coupon to go inside the temple path to pick up/ drop passengers, police personnel posted on duty allegedly refused entry.

When Kumar showed his coupon and requested the police to let him near East Gopuram tollgate of the temple, police allegedly abused him, the sources said.

Frustrated over the tiff with police, Kumar poured a bottle of petrol on himself and threatened to set himself ablaze. However, it is said that police personnel did not care to stop him.

Within a few seconds, the man set himself afire. Bystanders and the police came to his rescue and took him to the Kancheepuram government hospital, where he was declared dead with more than 85 per cent burns.

The Kancheepuram police registered a case and began investigations. Police have also recovered the CCTV footages from the place to establish the sequence of events. Speaking to DC, Kancheepuram superintendent of police Santosh Hadimani expressed his condolence to the family of the deceased.
He also said that as lakhs of devotees throng to have darshan, police did not allow share autos near the East Gopuram tollgate. Though special arrangements and parking lots have been created for buses and autos, due to the large crowd on Wednesday they were not allowed inside," he said.

The temple town of Kancheepuram has lakhs of devotees hoping for a rare 'darshan' of the Aththi Varadar deity after 40 years at Varadharaja Perumal Temple.