Dalit man sets himself on fire after pouring petrol in Etawah; officials had come to evict him from his ancestral home

22-year-old Shivam Valmiki lived with his family in his ancestral house. A court case was ongoing regarding the ownership of the house. The decision came against Shivam.

Shivam Valmiki seriously burnt

Etawah: A major commotion erupted in Etawah, Uttar Pradesh, when an administrative team went to evict a Dalit man from his house on a court order. The Dalit man, angered by the removal of his belongings from the house, poured petrol on himself and set himself on fire. The police present at the spot, with the help of the public, extinguished the fire and took the young man to the district hospital. Due to his critical condition, he was referred to Saifai Medical College.

Shivam Valmiki (22) lives with his family in a house located at Pakka Talab Chauraha in the Etawah Sadar Kotwali area. This was his ancestral house, the dispute over which was ongoing in the Civil Judge Junior Division court in Etawah. The court’s decision came against Shivam. A team from the revenue department, including the Amin, Naib Tehsildar, and other officials, along with police force, reached the spot to evict him. As soon as the police, in front of the revenue team, started removing Shivam’s belongings from the house, a commotion ensued.

Referred to Saifai Medical College

During the eviction process, Devi Prasad Patel from the other party was present at the spot with his people. That’s when Shivam poured petrol inside the house and set himself on fire. Seeing the Dalit man burning in flames, the officials and police panicked. The fire was quickly extinguished, and Shivam, in a critical condition, was taken to the district hospital. Due to his critical condition, the doctors referred him to Saifai Medical College.

Thumb impression taken on a blank paper from the drug-addicted brother-in-law: Sister-in-law

The family members are outraged by this incident. Shivam’s sister-in-law, Jyoti, alleged that her brother-in-law was a drug addict. His thumb impression was taken on a blank paper while he was intoxicated. After the brother-in-law’s death, Devi Prasad filed a case in court to get the ancestral house vacated. It was reported that Devi Prasad Patel runs a hotel and is harassing them because of his money and influence. Today, these same people came with a revenue department team to evict them from their house. It was alleged that they threw the household belongings out in front of the police and officials. When Shivam protested, he was beaten, and then petrol was poured on him and he was set on fire.

What did CO Abhay Narayan Singh say?

Etawah CO Abhay Narayan Singh said that the Civil Judge Junior Division had ordered the eviction after hearing the dispute. The revenue department and police had come to evict them based on the court order when Shivam set himself on fire after dousing himself with petrol. Shivam is being treated at Saifai Medical College.

Edited by: Vaibhav Pandey

About the Author

Vaibhav Pandey is a Senior Journalist at Navbharat Times Online. He covers news related to current affairs, human nature, crime, social issues, and politics. He has 18 years of experience in the media. During this time, he has covered the UP Assembly elections, Lok Sabha elections, and the West Bengal Assembly elections 2021.

Courtesy: Hindi News