Gonda (UP), Oct 18 (PTI) A man on Wednesday set himself on fire outside a bank here and his family alleged that he tried self-immolation because his loan was not sanctioned.

Twenty-five-year-old Divyaraj Pandey sustained 70 per cent burn injuries and was in critical condition, police said, adding that he has been taken to Lucknow for treatment.

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Pandey's friend Pradeep too sustained burn injuries and is in a hospital.

The State Bank of India (SBI) said no loan application from Pandey was pending.

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According to police, Pandey, who is a resident of Sarhara Pandey Purwa in Itiyathok area, immolated himself using petrol from his motorcycle.

Pandey and his friend Pradeep sustained burn injuries and were rushed to a hospital, Station House Officer of City Kotwali Police Station Sanjay Kumar said.

Pandey's family members alleged that he had applied for a loan to start an RO water plant but the bank officials were not sanctioning his loan due to which he took the drastic step.

The manager of the SBI branch in Kotwali, Gyan Prakash, denied the allegations levelled by Pandey's family.

In a statement issued here, Prakash said an unknown person tried to do an "illegal act" in front of the bank.

"No matter related to his loan was with the bank," Prakash said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)