BHOPAL: A 50-year-old woman principal of a private pharmacy college in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore district received 80% burns on the college campus after an ex-student attacked her over the delay in issuing mark sheet on Monday.
The incident took place around 4 pm within the BM Pharmacy College compound in the Simrol area on Indore’s outskirts. Vimukta Verma, the principal, was about to board the car for returning home after work. Suddenly, an ex-student, identified by cops as Ashutosh Srivastava (22), had a heated argument with her over the delay in issuing the mark sheet. Ashutosh poured petrol and set the principal ablaze.
“As per the preliminary probe, the accused student was waiting at the college gate, with a container full of petrol. He poured petrol on the principal and set her ablaze with a cigarette lighter, while she was plucking Bel leaves before boarding the car to return home,” Indore rural SP Bhagwat Singh Birde told this newspaper.
Despite sustaining burns on his hands, he sped away in his motorcycle to the Tincha Waterfalls, around 7km away. “He was about to attempt something drastic when a policeman Veer Singh manning Dial-100 emergency service saved him,” said Virde. “Ashutosh has been arrested and is under medical treatment under police custody,” said the police officer.
Despite being in flames, the principal ran for help from college staff who too was preparing to leave for home. She was finally rushed to a hospital. The principal is stated to be in critical condition.
Booked for murder
The accused is booked for attempted murder. Sources said four months back too, he had attacked Vijay Patel, a male faculty of the college with a knife, after which he was arrested and booked under the Arms Act. He had come out on bail a few weeks back only. The police are trying to figure out why the accused didn’t get his mark sheet.