Police today foiled the bid of a 44-year-old textile mill worker to set himself ablaze near the District Collectorate here.
Being grievances day, a large number of people had thronged the Collectorate..
The worker, Paneerselvam, who was standing in the queue, suddenly doused himself with kerosene and started lighting a match-stick, police said.
However, alert police on duty, snatched the match-stick and overpowered him, they said.
Paneerselvam told police that that he had come to meet the District Collector Archana Patnaik seeking help to resolve the problems between him and his wife who had left left him four years ago following a quarrel, police said.
He alleged that his in-laws were preventing her from reuniting with him and wanted to submit a petition seeking the intervention of the collector.
