A nephew of Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam founder Vaiko died on Saturday, a day after he set himself on fire in Tamil Nadu’s Virudhunagar demanding that the Centre form the Cauvery Management Board, reported IANS. Saravana Suresh had suffered more than 90% burn injuries in the incident, and was admitted to a private hospital in Madurai.
Vaiko announced Suresh’s death, and urged people not to attempt self-immolation. Suresh’s funeral was held at Perumalpatti in Thoothukudi district on Saturday evening, reported The Hindu.
On Friday morning, Suresh had told his family that he was stepping out for a walk. He then poured kerosene on himself at a nearby playground and set himself on fire. According to the police, Suresh shouted slogans demanding the constitution of the board before he set himself ablaze.
Tamil Nadu has been upset about the delay in setting up the Cauvery board, leading to protests across the state over the past few weeks and a massive demonstration against Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Chennai on Thursday.
The Supreme Court, in its order on February 16, had set a March 29 deadline for the Centre to set up the board. The Centre had asked for an extension as the Assembly elections are due in Karnataka on May 12, but the court declined the plea and directed that the Centre submit a draft scheme by May 3.
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