Immolation bid by couple near Writers'

KOLKATA: A couple tried to commit suicide and kill their baby by immolating themselves in front of Writers' Buildings on Tuesday afternoon. They managed to soak themselves in petrol until on-duty policemen reacted fast to prevent them from setting themselves on fire. The couple wanted to attract the attention of chief minister Mamata Banerjee after the man was allegedly branded as a thief at his workplace.
Sanjiv Pal (32), his wife Shilpa (19) and their toddler daughter Swati, residents of Jagadish Chandra First Lane of Mathpukur in Barrackpore, were detained and released later. Sanjiv works in a jewellery shop at Barrackpore until he was sacked recently on charges of stealing.
Police said the family had been seen sitting opposite Writers' with a big bag, but the security personnel in the VVIP zone allowed them to hang around.
Around 3.20pm, just as the wireless handsets were buzzing with alerts on the scheduled arrival of an Israeli delegation led by the country's ambassador Allan Usphiz, policemen in front of the state secretariat suddenly noticed Sanjiv and Shilpa emptying a petrol-filled jar on themselves. Seconds later, the couple started sprinkling the liquid on their one-and-three-month-old child and the air filled with a strong smell of patrol.
That's when constable Sujit Banik rushed towards the couple. By then, his colleagues had gheraoed the three, snatched the jar away while someone else carried the child to the chambers of the officer-in-charge (Writers'). Sanjiv and Shilpa, too, were dragged into the room.
The television crew watching from the first floor VIP corridor was caught offguard as the sequence of events unfolded. Sanjib even managed to throw a byte to one of the television channels, "I have been branded a thief. I want to die in front of the chief minister," before being whisked away. He elaborated before the interrogating officials: "We wanted to commit suicide at Writers' so that the CM could watch."
Policemen had a trying time clearing the central gate where onlookers and mediapersons had assembled. The Pals couldn't be shifted to the nearby Hare Street police station since the delegation was due to arrive soon. When they did, the odour of petrol still hung in the air. Piled on a jeep, the Pals were taken to the police station, but only after the foreigners had left the corridors of power.
"We did notice the couple sitting across the road ... these days (ever since the new government took charge), the area has become crowded and one doesn't know how to stop unwanted visitors," sighed a sub-inspector.