UP Congress chief demands judicial probe into suicide of BA student in Muzaffarnagar

Uttar Pradesh Congress President Ajay Rai on Monday demanded a judicial inquiry, headed by a sitting High Court judge, into the suicide case of a BA student from Budhana town in Muzaffarnagar district.

Ujjwal Rana, admitted to Safdarjang Hospital in New Delhi, succumbed to injuries late Sunday night. Rai said Ujjwal’s death in Muzaffarnagar, allegedly due to an outstanding college fee of Rs 5,250, exposes the grim reality of the education system under the central and state governments. He termed the incident not just a personal tragedy but a ”horrifying reflection of the crumbling state of education in Uttar Pradesh”.

Advertisement

He called for an immediate FIR against those responsible, including the police officials concerned. Rai also urged the government to establish a State Student Assistance Fund to support economically weaker students. Additionally, he demanded compensation of Rs 1 crore for Ujjwal Rana’s family and a government job for one family member.

A 24-year-old student from Budhana in Muzaffarnagar district, who was unable to pay college fees, set himself ablaze inside a classroom on Saturday morning after allegedly facing harassment from his college principal. He was rushed to a local hospital, from where he was shifted to Delhi after doctors found his condition ‘critical’. He later died late Sunday night.

Rana, a BA second-year student of DAV PG Degree College, Budhana, recorded a video minutes before the act, accusing the principal, Pradeep Kumar, of “physical assault and public humiliation for raising his voice in support of students unable to pay fees”.

In a handwritten note recovered later, Ujjwal accused the principal of “abusing, pulling his hair, and beating him” for supporting poor students. He wrote, “When I sought justice, the college called the police, but they also threatened me. My faith in honesty and justice is broken. If I die by suicide, the responsibility will lie with the principal and three police personnel.”