Bhopal, Feb 21 (IANS): The woman principal of a private pharmacy college in Madhya Pradesh's Indore was set ablaze on Monday by an ex-student, allegedly over delay in issuing the mark sheet, and is in a critical condition at a hospital, having suffered 80 per cent burns.

The victim was identified as Vimukta Sharma, 50.

According to police, the incident occured the BM Pharmacy College campus in Simrol area in the evening when she was about to board her car to leave for her home.

It was then Ashutosh Srivastava, 22, said to an ex-student of the college, came to her and after a short argument over delay in issuance of his mark-sheet, poured petrol on her and set her ablaze with a cigarette lighter, police said.

"He too received burn injures, but, however, ran away from the spot. He was arrested after a long chase by police and booked for attempted murder under Section 307 of the IPC," Indore's Superintendent of Police, Rural, B.S. Virde said.

Police also claimed Srivastava had passed the seventh and eighth semester of B.Pharma course in 2022 from the private college concerned, but was not yet issued the mark sheet.

Four months back also, he had attacked college faculty member Vijay Patel with a knife over the same issue, after which he was arrested under the Arms Act. He had been released on bail a few weeks back only.

The police are also trying to find out why he wasn't getting a mark sheet from the college, affiliated to state government-run Rajiv Gandhi Praudyogiki Vishwavidyalaya (RGPV).