Delol sarpanch tries to immolate self, arrested

VADODARA: The sarpanch of a village in Kalol taluka attempted self-immolation at Godhra district administration headquarters on Tuesday morning. Niravkumar Patel, the sarpanch of Delol village, took the extreme step allegedly after being denied custody of a tractor with trolley that was seized over allegations of illegal sand-mining.
Patel had written to the mines and minerals department earlier that if his tractor and trolley were not released he would take the extreme step.He had claimed that these were being held even though he was willing to furnish a bond for the same.
He had stated in the petition that the vehicles carrying sand were detained on October 4, 2013, while they were on their way to the village panchayat. He claimed that he had sought a permit for the work but it was turned down. He further said that he was facing financial constraints after the vehicles were held up. He also claimed that he had defaulted on installments for the vehicles.
Police present on the campus of the district administration headquarters detained Patel even as he tried to immolate himself after drenching himself with kerosene.