A 58-year-old assistant administrative officer at a government school in Rajasthan’s Didwana-Kuchaman district was struggling for his life after allegedly setting himself afire on the campus on Monday morning over alleged harassment at work.
Suresh Soni, a local police officer, said they were yet to file a case but were probing the matter. “The victim was referred to Ajmer’s JLN [Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College] Hospital. His condition is critical.”
The official arrived on campus with a bottle of petrol on Monday before the start of the classes. “He poured the petrol and tried to immolate himself. The cleaning staff working there saw him on fire and called the locals, who rescued him and rushed him to the hospital,” said Soni.
Soni said the police spoke to the victim. ‘Prima facie, he was under mental stress for a long time. The school principal had threatened that he would issue a notice if he failed to finish some work within the deadline. Following this development, he tried suicide on Monday.”