JOIN USA couple were arrested on the charge of attempting to burn their two teenage children and trying to immolate themselves in front of crowded district collectorate office here.
The couple and their 7-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son were sitting in a dharna when the incident took place, the police said.
The arrested persons Rabindra Jena and Pushpalata Jena were from Gopei village in Patkura police station and had resorted to such protest seeking police action on a complaint lodged by them earlier, they said.
The couple tried to set their children on fire after pouring kerosene over them. They also poured kerosene on them in an attempt to immolate themselves.
However, police who were near the spot of occurrence swung into action and stopped them from committing the commission of the dastardly act. Booked under section 309 (attempt to commit suicide- Whoever attempts to commit suicide and does any act towards the commission of such offence), section 307- attempt to murder, section 109- abetting an offence, section 34-Acts done by several persons in furtherance of a crime, they were forwarded to court.
Later they were sent to jail after the local court rejected their bail application, said Sub Divisional Police Officer, Nrusingha Charan Swain.
Incidentally Jena had earlier lodged an FIR alleging that his wife had been raped.
Police had registered a case in this connection and had arrested the accused.
However, the accused was bailed out later with medical examination report ruling out rape or sexual abuse. The agitating couple had staged a sit-in demanding the reopening of the case, SDPO Swain added.