UP student dies after setting himself on fire for being assaulted, ‘humiliated’ over unpaid fees
A 20-year-old college student from Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar district died on Sunday, a day after he set himself on fire allegedly after he was assaulted and denied permission to appear for an examination over non-payment of fees, The Indian Express reported.
Ujjwal Rana was a second-year Bachelor of Arts student at DAV PG College in Budhana town.
On Thursday, Rana recorded a video outside the college claiming that his examination form had not been accepted because he had been unable to pay the full fee. He said he had managed to pay Rs 1,700, while Rs 7,000 was still pending.
He also accused the college principal, Pradeep Kumar, and three police officers of humiliating and assaulting him for not being able to pay the fees, The Indian Express reported.
“The principal insulted me in front of everyone, saying that ‘this college is not a dharamshala’,” The Indian Express quoted him as saying in the video. “He pulled my hair and beat me. When I spoke up for students who could not pay fees, the college called the police.”
Rana alleged that the police officers abused him and pushed him out of the college. He ended the video saying that the principal and the three officers should be held responsible if anything happened to him.
In response to the video,...
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