Bhubaneswar: In a shocking twist to the sensational Balipatna self-immolation case, police on Saturday revealed that 42-year-old Jyoti Ranjan Mathia, who succumbed to burn injuries at AIIMS-Bhubaneswar, was allegedly set ablaze by his own family members over a property dispute.

Assistant Commissioner of Police (Zone 4), Abhimanyu Nayak, said the dying declaration of Jyoti Ranjan—recorded through both audio and video—confirmed that his father, stepmother, and stepbrother doused him with petrol and set him on fire.

“Prima facie evidence indicates it was not self-immolation but a murder over land disputes. The post-mortem report will further strengthen the investigation,” Nayak told reporters.

Following the revelation, Balipatna police arrested Jyoti Ranjan’s father Surendranath Mathia (74), stepmother Pravati Mathia (57), and stepbrother Prasant Kumar Mathia (34) on murder charges. They were forwarded to court and will be taken on remand for further interrogation.

The case has been registered under sections 118(2)/109/3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) that subsequently turned to section 103/3(5) of the BNS. 

Jyoti Ranjan’s wife, Bijayalaxmi Behera, lodged a written complaint accusing the trio of setting her husband ablaze to deprive him of his rightful share in the family property. 

"Jyoti Ranjan's father, step mother and step brother set him ablaze by pouring petrol over him," she alleged.

She also alleged that despite earlier complaints of assault by her mother-in-law, the local police failed to take action.

According to reports, Jyoti Ranjan had been demanding his share of the ancestral property. His father, who remarried after his first wife’s death, allegedly transferred newly purchased land to his second wife and her son, sidelining Jyoti Ranjan.

Initial reports suggested that Jyoti Ranjan had attempted suicide by pouring petrol on himself out of frustration. He sustained over 95% burn injuries. The locals rushed him to a nearby hospital before he was shifted to Capital Hospital and later referred to AIIMS-Bhubaneswar as his condition deteriorated. The doctors declared him dead today.