COIMBATORE: Six members of a tribal family, including a 13-year-old girl, attempted self-immolation in the Nilgiris district collector office on Monday demanding to retrieve their farmland which has been encroached upon.

Mohan Kumar (47) who hails from Kota tribal community from Kokkal village came along with his family members including his wife and 13-year-old daughter to the grievance meeting conducted at the collectorate. “All of a sudden the members of the tribal family poured kerosene onto them and attempted to set themselves on fire. However, police acted swiftly and foiled their self immolation bid by snatching away the match box. They were then washed off kerosene,” police said.

During the inquiry Mohan Kumar claimed that his six acres of ancestral farmland has been encroached upon by people hailing from Kokkal area. Even though Mohan Kumar took up the issue with district authorities there was no solution at sight, he claimed. The aggrieved family members demanded an investigation to find out if a fake registration has been done on their land. Further inquiries are on.