Gupta's condition critical; Under observation

New Delhi, May 28 (UNI) The condition of a youth, who tried to immolate himself yesterday during an anti-quota rally, is critical, doctors attending on him said here today.

Twenty three-year-old Rishi Gupta, who received 52 per cent burn injuries, is under constant observation in the Burns ICU of the Lok Nayak Jaiprakash Narayan Hospital, the doctors said.

''He is in a critical condition. The injuries are on his abdomen and arms. And his pulse and oxygen status are being monitored,'' they added.

Gupta, who hailed from Bihar and ran a shop in Shahdara, had doused himself with kerosene and set himself ablaze outside the Ramlila Ground as the anti-quota rally was coming to an end and people were moving out of the venue.

Policemen and people who attended the rally tore off his clothes and he was rushed to the nearby hospital.

Though he was not part of the rally or any of the participating organisations, he was heard raising anti-reservation slogans before he set himself on fire outside the venue of the rally.

The Youth For Equality (YFE) condemned the immolation bid and said it was committed to peaceful agitation.

''This is a deplorable act.... The youth is not a part of us.

We are committed to a very peaceful agitation and do not believe in any form of violence,'' Dr Anirudh Lochan, a founding member of Youth for Equality, told UNI.

''We have held several protests and rallies and violence is not a part of us,'' he added.

Gupta's attempt brought back memories of Rajiv Goswami immolating himself in 1990 in protest against implementation of job and university education reservations for backward castes to the extent of 27 per cent in addition to the existing quotas of 22.5 per cent, as recommended by the Mandal Commission.

That had sparked off a series of self-immolation bids by other college students and led to a formidable movement against the implementation of the policy.

He died in February 2004 due to severe health complications which resulted out of his burn injuries.

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