A man, said to be in an inebriated condition, was arrested after he ignited a lighter and started a fire at a petrol pump in Hyderabad on Saturday evening, officials said. 

The incident took place around 7 pm when the accused, identified as Chiran, arrived at the petrol pump in the Nacharam area in a visibly drunk state, with a cigarette lighter in his hand. One of the employees at the petrol station, Arun, asked the accused if he was planning to light up the device. He, then, challenged and provoked Chiran to light it up if “he had the guts” to do so.

Reacting to this, the accused lit up the lighter while the employee was dispensing fuel in a scooter – resulting in a sudden burst of flames.

There are were around 10 to 11 people at the petrol pump, including two employees, when the fire was ignited.

A CCTV footage of the incident shows a chilling moment as a woman and a child standing near the fire made a narrow escape. All the other people standing at the petrol pump can be seen running away.

The police also arrested Arun and charged the duo with mischief by fire and explosives.

Both the accused, who hail from Bihar, will be presented in court, the police said.

“This dangerous act not only put lives at risk but could have caused a catastrophic explosion, especially in this crowded area with heavy traffic,” Inspector G Rudvir Kumar, Nacharam Police, said.

They are arch-rivals in Maharashtra’s political arena, taking swipes and unleashing barbs at each other as the state gears up for the November 20 Assembly election. But in a rare moment of political bonhomie, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut shook hands and exchanged laughs at the NDTV Marathi’s Jahirnama event today. The two leaders also posed for a photograph, and Mr Fadnavis quipped, “(This is) the photo of the year.”

The 288 Assembly segments of the Maharashtra will vote on November 20. The votes will be counted on November 23.

Maharashtra’s political landscape has completely changed between the 2019 state polls and the upcoming election. In 2019, the BJP and Shiv Sena alliance scored a thumping victory. The alliance fell through due to a disagreement over rotational chief ministership. Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray then tied up with Sharad Pawar’s NCP and the Congress to form the government. This government was toppled two years later due to a mutiny led by Sena leader Eknath Shinde, who then became Chief Minister with BJP’s support. The Sena split and the NCP followed. Currently, the BJP, Eknath Shinde-led Sena and Ajit Pawar’s NCP are part of the ruling coalition. They are up against the alliance of Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and Sharad Pawar’s NCP.

The BJP-Sena-NCP alliance suffered a setback in the Lok Sabha polls earlier this year, winning just 17 of the 48 seats in the politically significant state. The Maha Vikas Aghadi, on the other hand, put up a stellar show by winning 30 seats.

In this election, the BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP combine is looking to recover from the Lok Sabha polls setback, while the Maha Vikas Aghadi comprising Sena (UBT), NCP and the Congress is going all-out to wrest power and script a comeback story.