Kerala: Man sets medical student on fire in classroom, both die
He doused his ex-girlfriend with petrol at the School of Medical Education in Kottayam, before setting her ablaze and then self-immolating.
A man on Wednesday set a student of Kerala’s School of Medical Education on fire in a classroom for allegedly rejecting his proposal, after which he immolated himself. Both S Adarsh, 25, and K Lakshmi, 21, believed to be his ex-girlfriend, succumbed to their injuries later, Hindustan Times reported.
The police said Adarsh had barged into the classroom in the Kottayam college, poured petrol over Lakshmi and set her on fire in a matter of seconds, before any of her classmates could react. He then left the classroom and set himself ablaze. A few reports say he caught fire while trying to set her ablaze. Two students who tried to save them both suffered minor burn injuries.
Lakshmi’s friends said Adarsh had stalked and threatened her a number of times after she backed out of their relationship because of parental pressure. After they were both taken to the medical college hospital, the woman told the police that she had filed a complaint for stalking against Adarsh, according to The Indian Express.
Lakshmi was a physiotherapist student, while Adarsh had graduated from the college two years ago. The School of Medical Education is part of the Mahatma Gandhi University in Kottayam.