Indore Principal Set on Fire By Student
The principal of BM Pharmacy College, Vimukta Sharma, who was set on fire by a former student succumbed to her burn injuries.
24 year old Ashutosh Shrivastava was a student of the BM Pharmacy College in Indore. The Principal of the collage was 54 year old Vimukta Sharma. On 20 February 2022 in Indore’s Simrol area, VS was near her car when Shrivastava came and poured petrol. He then set her afire. Some passersby doused the fire and informed the police. She was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital by her college colleagues, from where she was referred to Choitram hospital. More than 90% of her body was burnt and she wasvery critical. 5 days later she died. Shrivastava, who himself had received burn injuries while setting Vimukta Sharma on fire, was presented in court and remanded to one day in police custody. Shrivastava admitted to setting Sharma on fire but did not express any remorse. Shrivastava was earlier taken to the spot to enact the crime as part of the probe. Shrivastava said that he set the principal on fire because he had cleared the B Pharma exam in July 2022, but despite several requests, the management of BM College of Pharmacy was not giving him his mark sheet.
However, refuting the allegations, the college said Shrivastava was not coming to collect the mark sheet despite several reminders. The police said during their investigation they found that, two to three complaints were made against Srivastava by the pharmacy college authorities, the woman principal and other staff. They claimed the accused was threatening suicide. The deceased's daughter Devanshi had claimed that the police did not act even after the family lodged a complaint against Shrivastava for sending threatening messages to her mother on WhatsApp a few months earlier. The accused had stabbed a college professor in the past and had created a ruckus on the campus on several occasions. He had also sent threatening messages to the college principal on several occasions in the past. Family members and staff of BM college have alleged that despite multiple complaints to the police, the police did not take any action. A police assistant sub-inspector in Indore has been placed under suspension for alleged negligence of duty in connection. Meanwhile, the Indore administration has initiated National Security Act (NSA) proceedings against Ashutosh Shrivastava. If the probe finds out any other policeman guilty of dereliction of duty in looking into the principal's complaints, he will face strict action.
