Confusion and chaos prevailed outside Pragathi Bhavan, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s camp office, as two young men attempted to kill themselves on Tuesday, June 8. The incident took place shortly before a cabinet meeting that began at around 1.30 pm. KCR had called for the cabinet meeting to take a decision about the lockdown in the state. While one of them jumped in the way of Finance Minister T Harish Rao’s vehicle, the other person doused himself with kerosene in a bid to set himself on fire.

According to a report in The Hindu, the duo were identified as siblings, Suresh Kumar and Narsing Rao, who said that they resorted to such a measure as the police did not pay attention to their complaints in a civil dispute case. They said that they were denied justice. The report suggests that the land dispute case was under the jurisdiction of the Petbasheerabad police station.

According to reports, the alert car driver noticed the man and was able to stop the car just in time. The man was then pulled away by the police and the minister’s vehicle then proceeded to Pragathi Bhavan. At the same time, his brother doused himself with kerosene right outside the gates of Pragathi Bhavan. The police were able to stop the man and save him through their timely intervention.

Both the attempts were foiled by the police successfully and the brothers were detained and later shifted to Begumpet police station for further inquiry. As the incident took place in an area with high security, it triggered panic. Media personnel that had gathered outside the camp office reported the incident live. 

Meanwhile, the cabinet meeting that took place on Tuesday has taken a decision to extend the lockdown period by another ten days till June 20, with a relaxation period from 6 am to 5 pm.

If you are aware of anyone facing mental health issues or feeling suicidal, please provide help. Here are some helpline numbers.