U.P. govt forms SIT to probe Balrampur youth’s self-immolation case

The Uttar Pradesh state government has constituted a two-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the self-immolation of a youth in Balrampur, allegedly after his land was grabbed by a local group in October 2023, senior state officials stated on Wednesday.

Officials said that the government formed the SIT, including senior IPS officer additional director general (ADG) Jai Narain Singh and additional divisional commissioner of Devipatan Ram Prakash, following intervention by the Allahabad high court. The high court had ordered a detailed investigation by a committee headed by a senior police official. The SIT was constituted just hours before the court’s June 12 deadline for compliance.

Jai Narain Singh, a 1994 batch IPS officer, is currently posted as ADG Railway. Singh confirmed that he and the additional divisional commissioner of Devipatan have been tasked with investigating the incident and are required to submit their findings within a month. The SIT will examine the circumstances leading to the youth’s self-immolation and the land dispute outside Gaidas Bujurg police station in Balrampur.

A police official familiar with the incident stated that one Ram Bujharat self-immolated in front of the police station while streaming live on Facebook on October 24, 2023, to protest the overnight land grabbing. The victim succumbed to his injuries during treatment on October 30.

The deceased’s wife filed a petition in the high court, leading to an FIR for abetment of suicide against the police personnel posted at the station on March 17, 2024. Action was initiated against the then in-charge of Gaidas Bujurg police station, Pawan Kumar, who subsequently obtained a stay from the court. The court then directed the state government to conduct a detailed investigation into the matter.