Posted on 05/02/2014 12:57:48 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Both men fighting for their lives, two other local politicians injured
A television debate show in northern India has ended in horror after a spectator set himself ablaze and embraced a local politician, leaving both men fighting for their lives, police and a witness told AFP on Tuesday.
The election show on India’s state-owned national TV channel Doordarshan was being recorded in a park on Monday in Sultanpur, a town about 160 kilometres (100 miles) from the city of Lucknow.
Bystanders attempt to douse flames engulfing BSP leader Kamruzzama Fauji and a man named by police as Durgesh Kumar Singhb.
A man, named by police as Durgesh Kumar Singh, emerged from a crowd of about 150 onlookers, doused himself in petrol and then grabbed the local leader of the Bahujan Samaj Party, Kamruzzama Fauji, engulfing the pair in flames.
Singh sustained burns on 95 per cent of his body which are likely to be fatal, while Fauji was in a critical state with 75 per cent burns, police said.
The horrific incident took place during a TV election debate in a local park in Sultanpur, about 160km from Lucknow.
“This man suddenly came on the stage, poured petrol on himself and set himself on fire before tightly hugging one of the political guests,” said local photographer Pankaj Kumar Gupta.
“People were just too shocked to know what was happening,” said Gupta, whose photos show the men engulfed in flames with spectators fleeing the scene.
Two other local politicians taking part in the show, Ram Kumar Singh and Chowdhary Hriday Ram Verma, also sustained minor burn injuries while trying to save the pair.
A man walked onto the stage, poured petrol on himself and set himself on fire before tightly hugging one of the political guests, according to a local photographer. “The injured were first admitted to the district hospital here (in Sultanpur) and were then referred to Lucknow,” said a statement from the police. The motive for the incident is unknown.
India’s numerous television channels are holding nightly debate shows during the ongoing parliamentary elections, often staged in villages and towns with politicians taking questions in front of local voters.
Those injured in the fire were admitted to the district hospital in Sultanpur before being moved to Lucknow.
The election, the world’s biggest, will end on May 16 with results expected to show the Hindu nationalist opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) coming to power after 10 years of rule by the leftist Congress party.
Gupta said the show on Monday was called Janmanch 2014 (People’s Forum 2014) featuring five local politicians which was coming to an end when the man suddenly appeared.
“Within minutes, the Doordarshan team closed its cameras and packed all their equipment,” he said.
That’s one way to file a greivance!
That’s one way to keep the politician you dislike from ever winning.
I wonder if someone would be interested in..... Naw.... Just a passing thought.
See how Satan can tempt you by putting evil thoughts in your head?
I know what you were thinking and yes hitlary would go up like the hindenberg.
Pink Floyd-Wish You Were Here :)
Tell a politician to light a fire, and he is warmed just for the moment...
Light up yourself with the politician, and he is warmed for life.
How do you find people like that when you need them?
Yes!
People have always been very emotional about fire.
Horrific. They should have stopped this person as soon as he started dousing with petrol, but I suppose it was very fast, and they were taken by surprise.
Poor man’s suicide bomb.
Anybody named Gooptah can’t be trusted.
Looks like they were both singhed pretty badly.
If somebody pushed the dot on his head, would that have set off the extinguisher? (I apologize, truly. I like Indians, it was just too ripe to pass up. Forgive me.). Heh, Heh.
In India, Burning Man comes to YOU.
That was good.
When I first read the headline, the first thing that came to mind was the Nevada Desert celebration of the Burning Man.
I thought maybe the whole idea had moved to India now.
Maybe we are the only ones to make the connection.
Not many are even knowledgeable about the Burning Man celebration in Nevada.
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