Youth sets self on fire outside police station

A 23-year-old youth from Virar allegedly set himself ablaze after the Virar police booked him on charges of molestation. The youth reached the Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySp) office at Vasai and after pouring petrol, he set himself ablaze and tried to hug the DySp. The youth later succumbed. According to Manikpur police, Vikas Jha, a resident of Phoolpada in Virar was booked allegedly for molesting a woman in the locality. The youth also has six other cases filed against him at Virar police station. On Friday, Jha shot a video claiming that he was pushed to end his life by a local political leader and a police officer.

After shooting the video, Jha reached the DySp's Vasai office and set himself ablaze. Vishwas Walvi, DySp Vasai, rushed outside on hearing the chaos and saw Jha up in flames. Jha then approached Walvi to hug him. In a bid to avoid contact, Walvi stepped aside and pushed Jha away. However, Walvi suffered few burns. Meanwhile, the family members blamed Virar police for allegedly pushing the youth to death by filing false cases.