A man set the Keezhattur grama panchayat office afire on Wednesday afternoon in protest against the attitude of the panchayat staff.
The police arrested Mujeeb Rahman Chulliyil, a local man seeking a house under the LIFE Mission scheme, after he set fire to the local body office.
The police said Mujeeb had been angered by the denial of inclusion in the LIFE scheme. He reached the panchayat office with a can of petrol around 2 p.m. and started pouring it on tables and chairs.
The attempts by the panchayat staff to dissuade him from the criminal action failed as Mujeeb said he had enough of their behaviour. Mujeeb did not listen to the staff when they said they would consider his case when the panchayat secretary comes.
Office computers, printers, files and furniture were gutted as he set fire to the office. Mujeeb too suffered minor injuries on his hands.
Fire and Rescue Services personnel and the local people doused the fire. However, they could not salvage the office files and laptops.
The police arrested Mujeeb and shifted him to a hospital at Perinthalmanna. The police said his injury was minor. They said they were investigating the case.
