Two persons attempted suicide by immolating themselves in Motihari in East Champaran district on a day countrywide celebrations began to mark the centenary of the Champaran Satyagraha of Mahatma Gandhi.

Motihari, around 155km north of the state capital, is associated with Gandhi, who had arrived there in 1917 to wage a non-violent battle for the emancipation of indigo farmers from the harassment of the British.

The two persons, identified as Suraj Baitha (51) and Naresh Shrivastava (54) are employees of a now-closed Motihari Sugar Mill, which belongs to the Calcutta-based Nopani family. They have suffered 35 per cent and 93 per cent burns, respectively.

Condition of both is said to be critical and they have been shifted to Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) for treatment.

"We have kept Suraj and Naresh in the ICU. Their condition is serious and we are making all efforts to save them," a doctor taking care of them at PMCH said.

The incident coincided with police firing and lathicharge on a gathering of over 200 sugar mill employees who were agitating to demand revival of the mill and settlement of their unpaid wages since 2002, when it was shut.

Eyewitnesses said the sugar mill workers have been agitating to press for their demands for the past several years and had also threatened self-immolation, but the district administration had not anticipated that the matter would suddenly worsen.

As administrative and police officials arrived at the place of agitation under Chhatauni police station, the workers panicked and attacked them. It was followed by police firing in the air, teargas and lathicharge to disperse the crowd in which around three dozen people were injured.

The incident has come as an embarrassment for the state government, which has organised a two-day national conclave on the occasion to discuss Gandhi's thoughts and find a way out for the country plagued with intolerance and agrarian crisis.

East Champaran superintendent of police (SP) Jitendra Rana told The Telegraph: "The police team had gone there to escort a delegation of agitating mill workers to meet the district magistrate as part of the ongoing talks between them and the district magistrate. However, some criminals present among the workers attacked the police team."

The East Champaran SP pointed out that while the melee was going on, Suraj and Nagesh tried to immolate themselves.

Jitendra asserted that the police "fired three bullets in the air, used teargas and resorted to lathicharge only after the crowd present there tried to prevent the police from rescuing the two victims".

An FIR has been registered against seven persons and the police is viewing photographs and videos of the incident to take action.

"There is a distinct possibility of involvement of criminals in the garb of sugar mill workers because the police team had gone to the spot to escort their delegation to DM's office. We are investigating the case to find out what happened to worsen the situation when talks were scheduled between workers and district administration," the SP added.