Bhubaneswar, Aug. 16 -- 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, Balipatn...