July 22, 2008	Tuesday	Rajab 18, 1429

HYDERABAD, July 21: Police officials foiled a man’s attempt to torch his motorcycle as an expression of frustration and anger over phenomenal rise in fuel prices outside the press club on Monday.

“I simply can’t afford rising fuel expenses. When I will get rid of the motorcycle, I will not have to arrange extra money for its fuel,” he said.

As he took out a match box from his pocket, an SHO who was present there snatched it and put him under arrest for a brief time.

An under training ASP arrived there in the meantime and persuaded him to avoid doing it after his protest had been recorded. He was later allowed to go.

Zafar told journalists that on an average he earned Rs200 a day. If he spent Rs100 on petrol how would he make both ends meet and take care of the family, he said.

Zafar runs a small shop in a plaza in Cantonment area for past several years. Besides, he works in different offices, houses and buildings to earn a living. “I tried to get a job but failed,” he said.

He was quite bitter that petrol would now be sold at Rs87 per litre and said that it was a matter of only a couple of months that consumers would be buying petrol for Rs100.

“I have done electrification work in various government offices and tried to get a job through officers by submitting several applications but in vain,” he said. When he was torching his motorcycle voluntarily then why were police objecting to it, he complained.