Members of two families attempted to set themselves ablaze on the Collectorate premises here on Monday, condemning the “lackadaisical attitude” of the police.

Though the police deployed on the Collectorate premises thwarted the attempt, the incidents triggered tension for a while.

In a petition submitted to the Collector, a farmer from Kadayanallur area said three youths from their area sexually assaulted his mentally deranged daughter on July 10 last and the Kadayanallur police were refusing to arrest them even though a complaint was made with the them.

“When they tried to obtain my signatures on white papers, I resisted. After beating me, they chased me away,” the farmer alleged.

As the farmer sprinkled kerosene on him, his wife and the rape victim after submitting the petition, the police on duty snatched the matchbox from him and detained him.

Another incident

In another incident, police picked up Rajendran of Vallavankottai near Shencottai, after he poured kerosene on him, his wife Lakshmi and two grandchildren, aged about 5 and 3.

During interrogation, Rajendran told the police that his neighbour policeman Hariharan had been creating troubles of all sorts to him for the past several months and issued a death threat to him when he resisted it.

“When I filed a complaint with the Shencottah police, they, besides refusing to entertain it, threatened me. Hence we took the extreme decision,” said Rajendran.

Man consumes poison

In the evening, K. Subbiah (54) of Vellaalankulam near Sernthamaram consumed poison on the Collectorate premises alleging that the Sernthamaram police were supporting those who had illegally sold his house after it was just mortgaged for getting loan to meet the wedding expenses of his daughter.

“Since the Sernthamaram police refused to take action against the moneylenders, I consumed poison the Collectorate premises,” he said even as he was being taken in an ambulance.