Muzaffarnagar Student’s Suicide Sparks Outrage: Principal Arrested After “Inhuman Denial” of Exam Form Over Fees
In an age when education is meant to uplift and empower, a deeply disturbing incident from Muzaffarnagar has raised questions about the very moral fabric of academic institutions.
The principal of DAV PG College in Budhana was arrested late Saturday night following the tragic suicide of 20-year-old student Ujjwal Rana — a death many say was triggered by the principal’s unforgiving refusal to allow the young man to fill his examination form because he couldn’t afford the full fee.
Pradeep Kumar, the principal who had been on the run since the incident, was found near Sadda Adda Dhaba close to Byawala Chowki on November 15. He was arrested and later sent to judicial custody, officials confirmed.
Rana, a second-year BA student, set himself ablaze on campus on November 8 after the college administration allegedly refused him an exam form over unmet fee dues.
Despite paying ₹1,750 of the roughly ₹7,000 required, he was reportedly turned away.
In a world where education often preaches compassion and access, the idea that a student could be denied an exam for lack of money has left many stunned.
An institution rooted in moral and academic values could have easily allowed him to sit for the exam, especially given his financial struggles — a humane gesture that might have saved a life.
Instead, Rana’s hope collapsed. He sustained over 75% burns and died during treatment in Delhi the next day.
Videos from the campus showing him engulfed in flames have left the community shaken.
A day before he died, Rana recorded a video accusing Principal Pradeep Kumar of publicly humiliating and physically assaulting him.
He also alleged that police personnel thrashed him when he tried to raise the issue of his fee dispute.
After his death, the FIR was revised to include the charge of abetment to suicide.
The principal’s arrest is the second major development in the case. Earlier, the college’s physical training instructor, Sanjay Kumar, had been detained.
The FIR also names college manager Arvind Kumar Garg and three police officials — SI Nand Kishore, constable Gyanveer, and officer Vineet Kumar — as accused.
Muzaffarnagar SP Sanjai Kumar said the three policemen have been sent on leave as investigators examine CCTV footage, witness accounts, and official records.
The incident has triggered widespread protests by students and locals demanding justice, a magisterial inquiry, and ₹1 crore compensation for the grieving family.
Farmer leader Rakesh Tikait, who joined the demonstrations, said, “The system killed Ujjwal Rana. He kept running between the police administration and the principal for three days, but no one listened.”
Rana’s sister, Saloni, filed the first complaint.
The young man, a resident of Bhadal village in Baghpat, was the son of a sugarcane farmer and had lost his mother earlier. In his final message, he said, “If anything happens to me, the principal and the three police officials should be held responsible.”
Ujjwal Rana’s death has become a chilling reminder that when compassion disappears from educational institutions, tragedy is never far behind.
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