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A college student in Budhana town of Muzaffarnagar district died on Sunday evening after setting himself on fire inside his classroom, following an alleged dispute over unpaid examination fees, police said. The individual, a BA second-year student at DAV PG Degree College, Budhana, reportedly was denied permission to sit for his exam due to outstanding fee dues. The matter escalated when he alleged harassment by the college authorities and intervention by the police, leading to extreme distress. According to police, the student was immediately taken to a local hospital and then transferred to Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries late Sunday. In a handwritten note and a video recorded before the act, he named the college principal and three police personnel as responsible for his situation, alleging physical assault, humiliation, and threats. The incident has prompted protests by students and locals, and the police have registered a case and launched an investigation. Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai squarely blamed both the Yogi Adityanath government and the Centre for Ujjwal’s death, calling it a reflection of the deep flaws in the state’s education system. In a strongly worded statement, Rai described the tragedy as a “murder by the system”, alleging that students are increasingly being pushed to the brink by the pressure of college administrations and local authorities over unpaid fees. He said education in the state had become “commercialised and insensitive”, with little support for financially struggling students. “When such incidents occur, the chief minister is busy campaigning in other states,” Rai remarked. The Congress party has demanded ₹1 crore in compensation and a government job for Ujjwal’s family. It has also urged the state to introduce a law regulating private college fees and to establish a special aid fund for economically weak students, to prevent such tragedies in the future. Suicide Prevention. News 18. If you or someone you know needs help, call any of these helplines: Aasra (Mumbai) 022-27546669, Sneha (Chennai) 044-24640050, Sumaitri (Delhi) 011-23389090, Cooj (Goa) 0832- 2252525, Jeevan (Jamshedpur) 065-76453841, Pratheeksha (Kochi) 048-42448830, Maithri (Kochi) 0484-2540530, Roshni (Hyderabad) 040-66202000, Lifeline 033-64643267 (Kolkata). -With inputs from PTI
