In an incident that has sent shock waves through Kerala, a young man set a girl on fire in a classroom of medical college. The incident happened inside the Kottayam School of Medical Education (SME) on Wednesday afternoon.
The man doused himself with petrol and targeted the young woman who had rejected his advances.
With more than 80 percent burns, both of them succumbed to their injuries later in the day at the Government Medical College Hospital (GMC), Kottayam.
Adarsh Suneendran (26) was a former student of Physiotherapy at the Kottayam SME college’s centre in Gandhinagar, Kottayam. The girl, Reshmi (21), was a final year student of the same college.
Adarsh had come to college to write his supplementary examinations as he had failed in some subjects. He also brought a can of petrol with him.
Adarsh entered the classroom with a bag and said hello to Reshmi. A few minutes later, he doused her face and body with petrol. Reshmi ran out screaming, with Adarsh chasing her.
Reshmi ran into the college library. Two students who were in the library later told the police that they were taken aback as a screaming Reshmi whose clothes were wet entered the library. “She came running and then he came and hugged her. Suddenly, there was fire,” one of the students said.
Adarsh collapsed in the library, but Reshmi ran out. She ran into a narrow corridor which was largely empty. A few staff members and students found her lying on the floor, her body on fire. Though they doused the fire with water, Reshmi had already suffered severe burns.
Adarsh died in the hospital first, and then Reshmi.
Reports say that Adarsh had proposed to Reshmi and she had rejected it. But he had been insistent to get into a relationship. Reshmi’s father had also filed a police complaint against him earlier.
In a dying declaration at the hospital, Adarsh told doctors that he poured petrol over himself and on Reshmi after entering the classroom.
He told doctors that he hugged her while she tried to run away and lit the petrol. He also said they were earlier in a relationship and she betrayed him later.Dr R P Renjin, Resident Medical Officer, GMC, Kottayam
Other students who tried to save Reshmi also suffered some burn injuries.
"We brought water from the toilets and poured it on her, but by the time it was too late as half of her body was burnt,” Reshmi’s classmate Ashwin told the media.
Adarsh was a native of Kollam district and Reshmi was from Alappuzha district.
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