Indian college principal set on fire by student over grades dispute

A college principal in India was set on fire by a former student of the institution after disagreements over grades.

The female head of the institution, Vimukta Sharman, was set on fire Monday by 24-year-old Ashutosh Srivastava, the Times of India reported on Tuesday.

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The former student reportedly poured gasoline over the 54-year-old principal of the BM College of Pharmacy in the central India state of Madhya Pradesh, before she was set on fire.

The college was reportedly closed when the incident took place.

Sharman has been hospitalized and is in critical condition with an 80 percent burn, TOI reported citing the Inspector General of Police (IGP). Srivastava has been arrested.

The police said that Srivastava had tried to kill himself after the alleged crime by jumping into a nearby waterfalls. He was rescued but has received 40 percent burns. He is receiving treatment for burns in custody, NDTV reported on Monday.

The student has a prior record of attempting to stab a college professor four months prior to the incident, over the same issue of grades. He was arrested then and released on bail, according to the TOI report.

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