Town council member attempts suicide during encroachment clearance in Sringeri

CHIKKAMAGALUR: A town council member and Congress minority cell president attempted suicide by consuming poison in the presence of the tahsildar and police personnel during eviction of a shed he had put up illegally, in Sringeri on Saturday.

Rafeeq Ahmed had put up a shed on government land to sell watermelons. On Saturday, the local authorities arrived to evict encroachments when he attempted suicide. He vented out his frustration saying the rich encroach upon lakes and hills, but it becomes a crime when a poor man puts up a shed.

“The government is not helping the minorities. We worked very hard to ensure the victory of MLA T D Rajegowda, but he too has not helped me in any way”, he claimed and attempted suicide after alleging harassment by the police and the tahsildar. However, a police officer snatched the bottle after Rafeeq had consumed a bit of it, and he was taken to a hospital.