MP student, 18, sets on fire school teacher who complained about him

The student was expelled two years ago and had subsequently enrolled at a government school in Kalyanpur

Published on: Aug 19, 2025, 19:42:13 IST

By Shruti Tomar

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BHOPAL: A Class 12 student has been arrested on charges that he set on fire a 25-year-old female teacher who had filed a harassment complaint against him in Madhya Pradesh’s Narsinghpur district, police said on Tuesday

Police said the teacher’s family said the student had been harassing the teacher for a long time. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The woman was a guest teacher at the district’s Government School of Excellence, from where the accused was expelled two years ago. The student, identified by the police as Suryansh Kochar, subsequently enrolled at a government school in Kalyanpur and continued his studies. However, he could often drop by at his old school.

On August 15, the 18-year-old student visited the Government School of Excellence and made some objectionable comments on the teacher. “The teacher filed the complaint with school administration,” said Sandeep Bhuria, Narsinghpur additional superintendent of police (Addl SP).

On Monday, Kochar went to the teacher’s house and asked her to step outside, saying he wanted to apologise. When she came out, he poured petrol on her and set her on fire. The teacher jumped into an open drain to save herself, police said.

Police said Kochar ran away from the spot but was arrested in Kalyanpur village on Tuesday.

The 25-year-old teacher was taken to the local hospital, which referred her to the Jabalpur Medical College. She has sustained 25% burns.

The student has been charged with attempted murder.

School principal GS Patel said, “Suryansh used to study in our school… We warned him several times, but he didn’t mend his ways, so we expelled him from the school.”

Police said the teacher’s family said the student had been harassing the teacher for a long time.

(with inputs from Bhojraj Raghuvanshi)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shruti Tomar
I have spent over a decade chronicling Madhya Pradesh’s political and social landscape, covering politics, investigative journalism, crime, human interest, and government policy, blending sharp insight with ground‑level depth. I have closely tracked three assembly elections, three Lok Sabha elections, leadership transitions in MP while exposing governance lapses, tender irregularities, and flawed policy rollouts. My reports have revealed gaps in the Cheetah project, irregularities in medical education, rigging in recruitment exams, and loopholes in policy implementation. In crime reporting, I have moved beyond FIRs to map systemic patterns — from organised crime networks and gender‑based violence to custodial accountability — balancing urgency with sensitivity. My journalism is defined by a commitment to human interest. I have profiled the marginalised Bancchda community, documented atrocities against tribal groups, and highlighted efforts to preserve their culture through heritage liquor and revival of spiritual practices. I have reported on farmers struggling with failed MSP promises, giving voice to those often reduced to statistics in policy files. Passionate about field reporting, I have reported on rampant sand mining in Chambal and Narmada, pharmaceutical companies supplying medicines under altered names, the dire condition of schools and colleges, the plight of commercial sex workers, and skewed sex ratios in specific districts. Beyond deadlines, and as HT’s state correspondent and assistant editor in Madhya Pradesh, I engage with ministers, farmers, students, and activists, believing the best policy stories begin with a single human voice. A postgraduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, I also hold a diploma in sports journalism.Read More

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