Thiruvananthapuram: An around 80-year-old man attempted self-immolation outside the Keralam secretariat here on Thursday morning, but passersby and police quickly intervened and prevented him from carrying out the act.

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An officer of the Cantonment police station said that the man, identified as Subramanian, was aggrieved over some bank-related debts, and that is why he attempted suicide.

However, sources said that the elderly man has accused his neighbour of appropriating his land after taking his documents for a loan.

He has also accused the bank authorities of allegedly colluding with the neighbour to cheat him, and due to these reasons, he tried to kill himself, they said.

The incident occurred around 11 am on the footpath outside the secretariat complex, slightly away from where the Lower Primary School Teacher (LPST) rank-holders were protesting.

A young woman, an eyewitness to the incident, said she saw the elderly man pouring petrol on himself from a can and immediately intervened to stop him.

She said that while another man caught hold of Subramanian around the waist, she held on to his hand, which contained a lighter, and begged him not to do it.

"I told him not to ignite the lighter, begging him to think of all those on the footpath. I then shouted for help and the police personnel present here came running and caught his hands. When the lighter slipped free, I threw it away. We also removed his shirt, which reeked of petrol," she told reporters after the incident.

Subramanian was later taken to the hospital for a medical check-up.

(This story has not been edited by Mathrubhumi and is published from a syndicated feed.)