Five members of a family today attempted self-immolation at the Municipal Corporation office here to protest against a drive to evict them from their house, leading to the death of one, police said.
Originally hailing from Nepal, they live in Chhotu Nagar near Raiya Dhar here. The five poured kerosene on themselves and set themselves ablaze in the corporation's central zone office, from where they were shifted to Rajkot Civil Hospital.
Police Commissioner H P Singh said the incident was a fall-out of dispute between Chotu Nagar Cooperative Housing Society and the family, which is living in there for the last few years.
The house was allegedly an unauthorised construction and society had made several representations to the civic body, seeking the family's eviction. Court cases were going on.
"Bharat Mansingh (40) died while undergoing treatment while the other four have sustained severe burns," Singh told PTI. The others were identified as Rekha, Asha, Vasumati and Girish Mansingh.
Following the incident, a mob torched a state transport bus, while Opposition Congress gave a call for bandh tomorrow.
Mayor Janak Kotak said the corporation had nothing to do with the incident, and it had no plans to demolish their house.
The Corporation would conduct a probe, he said, adding the injured would be shifted to a private hospital.
But Opposition Congress accused the civic body of high- handedness.
"We have given a call for Rajkot bandh tomorrow... The civic body cannot usurp the family's land, because it is a private land," city Congress president Jashvant Bhatti told PTI.
City NCP too supported the bandh call.
