Three persons, including two staff members of Narayana Junior College at Ramanthapur here, suffered burn injuries after a student leader who allegedly doused himself with petrol to threaten the staff regarding an issue accidentally caught fire, on Friday.
Akhila Bharatiya Vidya Parishad leader Sandeep reportedly suffered severe burn injuries and was admitted to the intensive care unit. College principal Sudhakar Reddy and administrative officer Ashok Reddy also suffered injuries in the incident.
According to the Amberpet police, the issue was regarding non-issuance of transfer certificate of a recently passed student due to pending dues.
Police said Sai Narayana who had completed his Intermediate Second year from Narayana College, Ramanthapur, in June, had come to the college with ABVP leaders reportedly to put pressure on the management. At around 12.30 p.m., they entered the principal’s chamber and got into a verbal exchange.
“Sandeep, who was carrying petrol in a small bottle, doused himself to threaten the principal. But accidentally, he caught fire from a small lamp placed before a deity on the table there. The fire spread in the room, the principal was injured and another officer who came to the rescue also suffered injuries,” the police said.
The victims were first rushed to Gandhi Hospital, and later to another facility due to severity of the burns.
Following the incident, some aggrieved students along with their parents also assembled outside the college, even as other student organisations staged protests, and spoke of the college’s alleged highhandedness in holding back certificates and cancelling classes for non-payment of dues.
Amberpet police said furniture and electrical appliances in the principal’s chamber were damaged from the fire. CCTV footage from the premises was being gathered to find more details. An investigation was launched.
