New Delhi, Aug 23 (IANS) A 32-year-old man said to be a supporter of the fasting Anna Hazare Tuesday sustained serious burn injuries after setting himself on fire near Rajghat, police said.


Dinesh Yadav, who is from Patna, was raising pro-Hazare slogans when he suddenly poured petrol on himself and set his clothes on fire, vendors at the site told police.

Yadav sustained 70-80 percent burn injuries, police spokesperson Rajan Bhagat said, adding that he was not fit to give a statement.

The incident took place around 4 p.m. in front of Kisan Ghat, the memorial to former prime minister Charan Singh.

Vendors said he had shouted pro-Hazare slogans as well as "Inquilab Zindabad" and "Vande Mataram".

Police Control Room personnel stationed nearby extinguished the flames by throwing a blanket over him and rushed him to the Lok Nayak Hospital, said a police official.

The fire department said the man was taken to the hospital even before they could reach the site.

"We have received a person with burn injuries," a doctor told IANS.

India Against Corruption, which is spearheading the anti-corruption campaign, posted on its Facebook: "A person has tried to self-immolate a short while ago. Taken to hospital. Anna Hazare appeals to all to maintain peace."