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Trader who set himself afire dies

Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI: The 55-year-old trader who had allegedly set himself afire at Jaffarpur Kalan in South-West Delhi on Wednesday succumbed to his injuries on Saturday evening. While there were reports that the man had ended his life in the aftermath of the ongoing sealing drive in the Capital, the police claimed to have not come across any evidence to suggest the same.

According to the police, Wazir Chand, a resident of Prem Nagar, had set himself afire at Sureda Mod on Dhansa-Najafgarh Road around 10 a.m. on Wednesday. He was admitted to Safdarjung Hospital with more than 70 per cent burns.

Preliminary investigations into the incident have indicated that Wazir Chand took the extreme step following a family dispute. The police said his younger daughter-in-law had got a case of dowry harassment registered against her in-laws at the Farsh Bazar police station in East Delhi. Wazir Chand and some other members of the family were arrested in the case and later released on interim bail.

However, a young man, Jatin, who identified himself as a nephew of Wazir Chand, claimed that the suicide was related to the ongoing sealing drive. He claimed that after regaining consciousness in Safdarjung Hospital Wazir Chand told him that he tried to end his life thinking it would help save the shops of his children and others from getting sealed.

Wazir Chand, who had a photo studio at Tilak Nagar and a garments outlet at Uttam Nagar in West Delhi, was also a relative of the Bharatiya Janata Party MLA from Tilak Nagar, O.P. Babbar. The MLA had claimed that Wazir Chand was upset for the past few months as he feared that his shops would also get sealed.

As the news of Wazir Chand's death spread, Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee president Ram Babu Sharma expressed deep shock and sorrow at the tragedy. He also expressed condolence at the death of Amit Sharma who had hanged himself to death on Friday. Mr. Sharma appealed to the Capital's traders to maintain peace.

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