Nizamabad tea vendor attempts suicide at police station, alleges harassment

A tea shop vendor allegedly attempted suicide by setting himself on fire at a police station in Bheemgal on Monday. The vendor alleged repeated harassment and fines by police over keeping his shop open late. A police statement is awaited.

Nizamabad: A tea shop vendor attempted suicide by setting ablaze himself within the police station premises unable to bear the alleged harassment by police in Bheemgal here on Monday.

According to reports, Polasa Sudhakar, opearates a tea shop at the Bheemgal bus stand. However, he alleged that the police had repeatedly questioned and fined him for keeping his outlet open late at night.

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Sudhakar stated that he had already been fined three times. He mentioned that, following the latest fine, the police ordered him to come to the station to sign documents and subsequently go to court to pay the penalty, the reports said.

Sudhakar expressed his anguish, stating that he was merely trying to earn a livelihood through his petty tea stall but was being singled out and harassed by the police. He questioned why other shops that remained open were not being questioned in the same manner.

Amidst this situation, around 10 AM on Monday, he attempted suicide by pouring petrol on himself inside the police station premises. The victim stated that he took this step solely due to police harassment.

However, an official statement from the police regarding the incident is yet to be released. Locals are urging higher authorities to conduct a thorough inquiry into the allegations levelled by victim and initiate action accordingly.