Kerala couple who attempted to set themselves on fire to resist eviction, succumb to burn injuries

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], December 28 (ANI): A couple who set themselves on fire while resisting an eviction process succumbed to their burn injuries on Monday, police said. According to the police the incident took place at Neyyatinkara in Thiruvananthapuram on December 22.
As the police began evicting the couple from their house based on a court order, they resisted police efforts and attempting suicide by setting themselves on fire.
The Medical College Hospital authorities said that Rajan died of severe burn injuries on Sunday night and his wife Ambili succumbed to burn injuries on Monday evening.
According to police, "The incident took place on December 22 in Nellimoodu Village. We reached the house of Rajan to attach their property based on a court order. To resist the eviction process, Rajan threatened to commit suicide and started to pour kerosene on Ambili and himself."
A video of the incident, shot by an onlooker, surfaced wherein Rajan is seen holding his wife with one hand and threatening the police with a lighter in another hand not to go near them.
When a policeman tried to foil the bid, the fire from the lighter landed on the couple and they suffered severe burn injuries. Their children were present when the incident took place.
The relatives of the family alleged that the fire was caught up in the fire when the policeman forcefully tried to take the lighter from his hand and the couple did not intend to commit suicide.
"The police investigation is on", the police added. (ANI)