ROURKELA: Rourkela youth Muktikanta Biswal, known for his marathon walk to Delhi, landed behind bars for allegedly attempting self immolation near Vijay Chowk in the National Capital on Monday after failing to meet Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi and President Ramnath Kovind. He was, however, released on conditional bail on Tuesday.
Though Biswal was prevented from taking the extreme step, he was handed over to the Parliamentary police station. After his release, Muktikanta said he had left Rourkela by foot for the second time on April 1 and reached Delhi after 75 days on June 14. He had no place to stay but kept trying to meet the PM and the President for 13 consecutive days to apprise them of Ispat PG Institute and Super Speciality Hospital (IPGI&SSH) of the Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) still not being fully functional.
“With no other way left, I prepared about 100 hand-written leaflets highlighting about the hospital, reached Rajpath, doused myself in diesel and wanted to set myself ablaze when the BSF personnel present there caught me and handed over to the police,” narrated Biswal. He spent 21 hours in police lock-up and on Tuesday afternoon presented before a local court. “The judge granted me conditional bail asking me not to visit that locality. But am frustrated for not being able to air my grievance,” said a dejected Biswal.
Though the PM had announced upgradation of Ispat General Hospital (IGH) on April 1, 2015, no step was taken till 2019. Subsequently, the IPGI&SSH infrastructure was built and the President inaugurated it on March 21,2021. Still, people of the region continue to be denied advanced healthcare with the facility remaining partially functional, he rued.
His next date of hearing in the case is fixed on July 4. Earlier, Biswal made his maiden march to Delhi on April 16, 2018 over the issue of IGH upgrade and construction of second Brahmani bridge but was denied permission to meet the PM. This was his second protest march to the National Capital.