Man sets himself on fire over increasing rape incidents

Coimbatore: Even as the entire nation was boiling over the gangrape incident in Delhi, a 38-year-old man on Thursday set him ablaze in the premises of a court in Palladam in the nearby Tirupur district, protesting against the increasing rape incidents.

Raju, who runs a tea shop, raised slogans against the increasing rape incidents in the country and set himself afire after pouring kerosene on his body, police said.

The public and police, present in the court premises, managed to douse the fire and took him to a nearby government hospital. However, after providing first aid, he was referred and brought to Coimbatore Medical College Hospital, for further treatment. He was responding to the treatment, police added.