A 72-year-old CPM worker, who was actively participating in protests against the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act or CAA, is critical after he had allegedly set himself on fire on Friday, police said.
Ramesh Chandra Prajapat has suffered 90 per cent burns after he allegedly set himself ablaze near city's Gita Bhawan crossing. Several pamphlets were found in his bag that said that the CAA and National Register of Citizens "would put India's freedom and constitution at risk".
"The entire country is protesting against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA). Despite imposition of Section 144 (prohibitory orders), even women and children have taken to the streets. At least 30 people have died in police firing and thousands have been jailed," reads the pamphlet that also mentions police crackdown at the Jamia University and Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi.
Police are trying to confirm why the CPM leader, who is a tailor by profession, took the extreme step.
"We got a letter from his pocket. We got to know that he is a member of CPM but his son, who is working with an IT firm, said he was not that motivated to take such extreme step," senior police officer Ruchi Vardhan Mishra said.
"Recording a statement at this time is difficult because he is in extremely critical condition," the police officer added.
CPM leader Kailash Limbodia confirmed that Prajapat was a party worker but added that they are not sure why he took the extreme step.
Massive protests have swept the country against the new citizenship law which makes religion test for citizenship for the first time in the history of the country. The government say the CAA grants citizenship to non-Muslim minorities from Muslim-majority countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan if they fled religious persecution and entered India before December 31, 2014. Critics believe the CAA, along with the NRC or citizen's list, will be used to target Muslims.
2 Beaten To Death After Citizenship Act Protest In Meghalaya Supreme Court Seeks Delhi Police's Reply On FIR Request Against BJP's Anurag Thakur Supreme Court Relief To Assam MLA In Case Linked To Citizenship Law Protest UP BJP Rejig Soon? State Chief Offers To Quit Over Poll Drubbing: Sources Flying Squad Climbs Wall, Crashes Rajasthan School Exam, Finds Mass Cheating "I Divorce You... Your Ex-Wife": Dubai Princess Dumps Husband In Insta Post Fire Breaks Out In China Shopping Centre With People Trapped Inside: Report Deepika Padukone Said She Has Never Followed A Diet "That Is A Fad" US Woman Arrested For Sitting On Foster Son, 10, That Caused His Death Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.