Madhya Pradesh teacher set ablaze by 'love-obsessed' student in revenge attack

An 18-year-old former student has been arrested for allegedly setting a 26-year-old guest teacher on fire at her home in Madhya Pradesh’s Narsinghpur district on Monday afternoon, police said. The incident occurred in the Kotwali police station area; the woman sustained 10–15 per cent burns and is undergoing treatment at the district hospital, where doctors said the injuries are not life-threatening, according to NDTV.

Police identified the accused as Suryansh Kochar, a former pupil of Excellence School (Utkrisht Vidyalaya). Investigators said he went to the teacher’s residence at about 3.30pm carrying a bottle of petrol, poured it on her and set her ablaze before fleeing. Officers arrested him within hours from Kalyanpur village under Dongargaon police station limits.

The two were known to each other for over two years and police believe the attack was driven by a personal grudge. NDTV reported that Kochar had developed a one-sided attachment towards the teacher and had earlier been expelled from the school where she taught; he was studying elsewhere at the time of the attack.

The chain of events appears to have begun during the school's Independence Day celebrations. As reported by NDTV, Sub-Divisional Police Officer Manoj Gupta stated, "The teacher wore a saree for the school's August 15th program, which the accused commented on inappropriately. She lodged a complaint, which angered him." Gupta described it as “a case of one-sided affection and personal vendetta.”