Congress worker sets himself ablaze on Lankan issue

A 47-year-old Congress worker on Saturday died after he set himself ablaze near here over the Sri Lankan Tamils issue, police said.
    
The deceased, Ravichandran, residing at Sirkali came out of his house on Friday night, doused himself with kerosene and set himself ablaze, shouting pro-Sri Lankan Tamil slogans. He was rushed to Mayiladuthurai Government Hospital, where he succumbed to burns on Saturday, police said.
    
This is the second such incident to be reported in Tamil Nadu after the self-immolation of K Muthukumaran in Chennai recently.
    
Tension prevailed at the hospital here when Congress workers and activists of the recently floated Sri Lankan Tamils Protection Movement, comprising PMK, MDMK, CPI and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi and other fringe groups, clashed. However, police intervened and brought the situation under control.
    
The Congress MLA from Mayiladuthurai, S Rajkumar, said that Ravichandran's mother was an activist of his party. Ravichandran, an unemployed youth, had recently joined the Congress, he said.