Man held for setting fire to his bike in front of Vidhana Soudha

Kumar, a resident of Challakere, kissing his bike after setting it on fire in front of Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru on Wednesday.
| Photo Credit: K. MURALI KUMAR

Panic gripped people for some time when a 27-year-old man set fire to his scooter on the busy Ambedkar Veedhi in front of the Vidhana Soudha before creating a ruckus, on Wednesday.

Prithviraj, a resident of Yeshwantpur, rode up to Ambedkar Veedhi in the heart of the city and torched his scooter. Police personnel deployed for security and traffic duty along with passers-by were shocked to see the accused shouting and hurling abuses, before being detained by the security personnel who doused the fire with the help of fire and emergency services.

The accused was taken to the Cubbon Park police station and initial probe revealed that he was working in a private firm and was angry with the police for their “rude behaviour.”

Prithviraj told the police that he wanted to grab the attention of people to vent his ire on the police for behaving rudely with his mother. He said he was infuriated with the Challakere police who allegedly humiliated and heckled his mother when she went to file a missing complaint, and later manhandled him when he went to question their behaviour.

Further probe revealed that Prithviraj had gone trekking in Shivamogga in July and was briefly unreachable during the expedition. His anxious mother when went to the police seeking help.

Over a month after the incident, he set his two-wheeler on fire to avenge the incident and raise his voice against the police. However, the police are yet to corroborate his statements.

The Vidhana Soudha police have registered a case of public nuisance, mischief by fire against him.