Gujarat: Protest after activist immolates self over delay in land allotment

Hundreds of locals staged a protest outside Gandhinagar Civil Hospital in Gujarat on Saturday following the death of Dalit activist, who had set himself on fire because of delay in allotment of land.

The 60-year-old Bhanubhai Vankar, who immolated himself on Thursday inside the compound of Patan Collector's office, succumbed to his injuries the next day.

He took the step as he was upset over government's alleged failure to regularise land cultivated by a landless labourer.

The agitated crowd at the hospital also booed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Legislator Karsan Solanki when he arrived there to meet the family of the deceased.

Vankar had been seeking physical possession of land that was allotted to Dalit families by the state government.

He had also written a letter to Chief Minister Vijay Rupani last month stating that he would immolate himself if the families were not allotted the land.

Taking congnisance of the matter, the Chief Minister's Office had then sent an advisory to the collectorate.

However, the officials took the matter casually and did not address Vankar's issue.