THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A 48-year-old man suffered severe burns after attempting suicide by setting himself ablaze at Poojappura Junction on Tuesday night.
The injured has been identified as Baiju, a native of Karakulam. Poojappura police sources said the man set himself ablaze after pouring petrol. Baiju had domestic issues with his wife, who later left him. After break-up, the woman stayed at the Mahila Mandiram at Poojappura for a while and later left the place.
Unaware of his wife leaving the place, Baiju arrived at the Mandiram with his two children and demanded to meet her. When he was turned away, Baiju reportedly bought petrol and poured it overhead.
Seeing this, the locals informed the police and the fire and rescue services. However, he set himself on fire when they arrived. A civil police officer sustained burns on his hand while trying to prevent Baiju from setting himself on fire.
Baiju reportedly sustained 70 per cent burns and is in a serious condition. He has been admitted to the Medical College Hospital.
The Medical College authorities denied the allegation that there was laxity in attending to the patient at the casualty. They blamed the ambulance driver for trying to dump the critically ill patient before the casualty block.
“The ambulance driver dropped the patient at the portico and tried to make him walk. There was no lapse on the part of the hospital staff. As soon as they came to know about the condition of the patient they arranged for a clean trolley as it was a burns patient. He was immediately shifted to the burns ICU,” said hospital superintendent Dr B S Sunilkumar.
He said the resident medical officer checked the CCTV footage and found no lapse on the part of the staff.
He alleged that the ambulance driver was drunk and caused another accident on his return trip from the hospital. The RMO has decided to file a case against the driver for ill-treating the patient. According to the doctors, the condition of the patient remains critical.
If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call Sneha Foundation - 04424640050, Tele Manas - 14416 (available 24x7) or iCall, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences' helpline - 02225521111, which is available Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm.