A student of a private college in Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar immolated himself on the campus on Saturday after being allegedly assaulted by the principal for failing to pay his tuition fee and insulted by the police.
Ujjawal Rana, a resident of Bhadal in Baghpat and a BA second-year student at the DAV Degree College, was taken to Safdarjung Hospital in New Delhi on Sunday and is said to be critical.
“Principal Pradeep Kumar called me to his office and asked me to pay ₹5,000 as fees. I told him that I had paid the examination fee online and would pay the tuition fee as soon as my father received payment for his sugarcane from the mill. He hurled abuses at me, grabbed my hair and attacked me. He took me to the college gate and assaulted me again,” Rana said in a video.
“I had earlier raised my voice for the poor and helpless students who were not able to pay their fees on time. I was punished for this. The college (management) called the police. I had expected their support, but the policemen, Dharmveer (Singh), Nand Kishore and Vinit (Kumar), insulted and threatened me,” he added.
Circle officer Gajendra Pal Singh said: “We have registered a case against the principal based on the complaint of a family member of the student and are conducting an inquiry.”
The three policemen have not yet been booked.
Principal Kumar denied the allegations and claimed that he had only reminded Rana about his pending fees.