Uttar Pradesh: Student in Budhana sets himself on fire inside classroom after being denied exam over pending fees, college principal questions his ‘poor’ claim

UP student sets himself on fire over ₹7,000 dues
Ujjwal Rana, set himself on fire inside a classroom at DAV PG College (Image via Amar Ujala)

In a shocking incident, a 24-year-old student, identified as Ujjwal Rana, set himself on fire inside a classroom at DAV PG Degree College in Budhana city of Muzaffarnagar district, Uttar Pradesh, on Saturday (8th November). 

The second-year BA student took the extreme step after he was not allowed to appear for an exam due to the pending fee of ₹7,000. According to reports, Ujjwal had been facing financial issues and had also been raising his voice against the problems faced by students who couldn’t afford their tuition, due to which he faced repeated humiliation at the hands of the college administration.

Before the incident, Ujjwal recorded a video and left a handwritten note accusing college principal Pradeep Kumar of verbally and physically assaulting him. He also said that when he tried to seek help, the police took the side of the college instead of supporting him, leaving him “broken in faith and justice.” The note named the principal and three policemen as responsible for his suffering, according to a report by The Times of India.

As per the student, the college authorities refused to take his examination form due to unpaid fees, and the principal insulted me in front of everyone. He alleged that the principal said that ‘this college is not a Dharamshala.’ Ujjwal Rana said in the video, “He pulled my hair and beat me. When I spoke for students who couldn’t pay fees, the college called the police. Even the policemen abused me and pushed me out of the college.” 

After that at around 11.30 am on Saturday, he went inside a classroom, poured petrol on himself, and set himself on fire. Videos of the incident, which have surfaced on social media, show the student engulfed in flames inside the classroom as other students rushed to help. By the time students managed to douse the flames, Ujjwal had suffered extensive burns. His clothes were completely burnt, and his skin had turned black from the flames.

Eyewitnesses also stated that the teachers failed to intervene in time when Ujjwal poured petrol on himself, adding that it was his classmates who rushed towards him to save him. He was first taken to Budhana’s Community Health Centre and then shifted to a hospital in Meerut. The doctors said that he suffered severe burns but now is stable. 

However, the principal of the college has questioned the student’s inability to pay the fee, claiming that Ujjwal owns a motorcycle as well as an expensive mobile phone and questioned how such a student could claim to be a poor one. Talking to media, College principal Pradeep Kumar asked how he has a phone worth ₹25,000 and an motorcycle worth ₹1 lakh that require regular petrol.

Singh said that the student had paid only ₹1,750 as fees and rarely attended classes. Singh said the government gives scholarships to financially weak and Dalit students, and Ujjwal should have applied for assistance if he truly needed help. The principal stated that Ujjwal has not filed any application for scholarship or financial help so far.

After the incident, students staged protests demanding justice and strict action against college authorities. Police later registered a case against the principal under sections 351(3) and 352 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and are also investigating the three policeman names in Ujjwal’s note. 

Written by OpIndia Staff
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