Chennai Man Sets Himself On Fire In Protest Against Eviction Drive, Dies

A 58-year-old man who had set himself on fire on Sunday in a bid to stop an encroachment eviction drive in Chennai's Raja Annamalai Puram area died this morning. "He had attempted this inside a vacant house, police personnel rescued him and rushed to the hospital," a senior police officer told NDTV.

Authorities had suspended the eviction drive yesterday after this incident.

The man lived close to the Buckingham Canal for several years and was worried that the resettlement would threaten his son's livelihood and grandchildren's education.

The state government has announced a relief of Rs 10 lakh for his family.

The eviction drive was launched by the water resources department to enforce an order by the Supreme Court. However the residents, who officials have labelled as encroachers, claim that the state government had not argued the case strongly enough.

They claim that the eviction drive only intensified after authorities learnt that the community was filing an appeal in the top court with an NGO's help.

Responding to a calling attention motion by the opposition All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), Chief Minister M K Stalin today said "Alternate accommodation would be allotted near the area for those facing eviction and we would frame a fresh policy that would make relocation a smooth process working with residents and elected representatives."

Since the alternate housing offered by the state government is outside the city, most residents are hesitant as the relocation would make access to their livelihood opportunities and their children's schools extremely difficult.