Overview
- A tea stall owner, identified in reports as P. Sudhakar, poured petrol on himself and tried to set himself on fire inside the Bheemgal police station after interacting with officers at the station.
- Sudhakar told reporters he had been fined multiple times for keeping his stall open late and was ordered to sign paperwork at the station and appear in court to pay penalties.
- Police accounts quoted by one outlet say the case against him was a routine enforcement action and the Nizamabad police commissioner said there was no fault by officers while investigators probe other possible disputes involving a neighboring shop.
- Station staff and people at the scene extinguished the flames and took Sudhakar to Nizamabad Government Hospital where his condition was described as serious.
- Residents are calling for an independent inquiry into the vendor’s harassment claims and for authorities to explain the fines and the process that vendors must follow to contest penalties.