A man in India set himself on fire and then grabbed a politician during a live television debate this week in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, authorities said. Police said Durgesh Kumar Singh came out of the crowd Monday as India’s state-owned television station Doordarshan recorded the debate at a park in Sultanpur, about 100 miles from the city of Lucknow.
He set himself ablaze with gasoline and threw himself on Kamruzzama Fauji, a local politician from the Bahujan Samaj Party. Singh died in the hospital a day later. Fauji is in critical condition with burns over 80% of his body. Singh, 35, motives are yet to be confirmed, but authorities said the man’s family claims he was being treated for mental instability before the incident.