Srinagar, Nov 29 (IANS) An unidentified woman tried to set herself ablaze on Saturday in Jammu and Kashmir’s Srinagar city after which she was shifted to the hospital, police officials said.

Officials added that an unidentified woman attempted to end her life by setting herself ablaze in Pratap Park in Srinagar city, triggering panic among visitors and passersby before swift intervention by locals prevented the tragedy.

“The woman suddenly poured some inflammable liquid, believed to be petrol, over her body and attempted to ignite it in a crowded area of the park.”

The act created chaos on the spot as people rushed to understand what had happened and tried to control the situation, officials said.

“Locals present in the park acted quickly and managed to douse the flames from spreading thereby preventing serious harm to the woman,” officials added.

“Some witnesses said the fire was doused within seconds, while others moved the woman away from the area to ensure she was safe from further danger.”

“Police personnel arrived at the spot shortly after being alerted and shifted the woman to a nearby hospital for urgent medical treatment,” officials said.

The woman’s identity has not yet been established, and no personal documents were recovered from her at the spot.

The motive behind the extreme step remains unclear.

Police have taken cognisance of the incident and initiated an inquiry to determine the circumstances those led to the incident, officials added.

There have been incidents of youth and sometimes even elderly persons trying to take the extreme step to end their life.

Domestic violence, post-marriage estrangement and mental ailments like depression, etc, have often turned out to be the reasons behind such incidents.

Parents have been advised by religious, social leaders and police to ensure that their children are protected from isolation and lack of attention that often ends in drug abuse by young people.

The growing habit to use digital platforms through Internet causing mobile phone addiction is another major reason for distancing of family members from one another.

Instead of engaging in meaningful person to person dialogue with each other, people are found using Facebook, Instagram, etc., to communicate and this finally results in snapping of human relationships that those need to be renewed and reaffirmed regularly.

–IANS

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