Hanoi police said on Tuesday they were looking into a self-immolation case outside the office of a state agency in Ha Dong District that happened a day earlier.

The victim, who survived the suicidal act, has been identified as Bui Huu Tuan, 58, former chief of a village in Hop Dong Commune, Chuong My District in Hanoi.

On Monday morning, Tuan and a friend arrived at the headquarters of the Central Committee for Citizen Reception in Ha Dong District to demand revision of a court verdict in March, which found him guilty of abusing power and authority while performing public duty.

The two left after receiving instructions on steps they could take to file an official request, Nguyen Thanh Tung, deputy police chief of Hanoi, said at a press conference on Tuesday.

However, Tuan returned at around 11:25 am the same day carrying a bottle containing 0.5 liters of gasoline, poured the inflammable liquid all over his body and set himself ablaze outside of the state building.

Officers stationed at the site rushed Tuan to the nearby National Burns Hospital, where doctors diagnosed him with comprehensive burns covering 77 percent of his body area, with 25 percent of his body area affected by deep second-degree burns.

Tuan is still in hospital with a bad prognosis, the Hanoi deputy police chief said.

Relevant authorities are working to investigate Tuan’s motivation for the self-immolation.

Tuan was sentenced to five years behind bars by a court in Chuong My District.

The sentence was upheld by a court of appeals in Hanoi in March, according to Phap Luat Thanh Pho Ho Chi Minh (Ho Chi Minh City Law) newspaper.

Asked if investigation into the case will reopen following the tragic incident, the Hanoi deputy police chief said relevant authorities will decide whether to consider revising his verdict or not.

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