I have no complaints, says 26/11 martyr’s father

NEW DELHI - A day after K. Mohanan, the uncle of Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, set himself ablaze here citing official apathy towards victims of the Mumbai terror attack, the slain soldier’s father said the allegations were Mohanan’s “personal opinion” and that his son had got all the respect he deserved from the government.

“Whatever Mohanan has written is his personal opinion and we have nothing to do with it. Our son has received all respect from the government of India,” Unnikrishnan told reporters outside the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital. Unnikrishnan arrived here Friday to see his brother, who remains in critical state after his self-immolation attempt Thursday.

The hospital’s medical superintendent, T.S. Sidhu, said that Mohanan was still critical.

“We are constantly keeping an eye on his position. He is on ventilator and has 95 percent burn injuries,” Sidhu told IANS.

A doctor said that it seemed from his initial statement that he was unhappy over the way victims of the Mumbai terrorist attack of 2008 were treated by the government. He was depressed.

According to police, Mohanan, 56, poured kerosene on his body and set himself on fire outside Gate No.4 of Parliament House near Vijay Chowk at around 6 p.m. Thursday.

“People at the spot tried to douse the fire and informed police after which Mohanan was rushed to the hospital,” said a police officer who did not wish to be identified.

In the suicide note written in Malayalam, Mohanan said he was unhappy the way the government was treating victims of the Mumbai terror attack, which has been blamed on Pakistani terrorists.

“He was disturbed over the death of Sandeep. He wanted to feel the pain he might have suffered when he was shot by the terrorists,” said the officer.

Sandeep Unnikrishnan, who was in the National Security Guard, died in the assault on the Taj Hotel in Mumbai.

Police recovered a train ticket and notebook from Mohanan’s possessions. “We think that he reached Delhi on Jan 30,” he said.