A boy, accused of cheating in exams, set himself on fire on Monday in front of the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education office in Muzaffarhgarh. He was taken to the trauma centre, from where he was later shifted to the district headquarters hospital in Dera Ghazi Khan.
Police said Muhammad Tahir, a resident of Chowk Qureshi, was caught cheating in his matriculation examination held in March-April 2013.
When he was confronted, he beat up the invigilator for accusing him and taking away his answer sheet. His answer sheet was confiscated and he was blacklisted from sitting the rest of the examinations.
Following an inquiry conducted by the DG Khan BISE, Tahir was summoned to the office on Monday and after he failed to establish his innocence, the jury declared him ineligible to sit matriculation examinations for three years on double charge- cheating and assaulting the invigilator.
To protest the jury’s decision, Tahir set himself on fire shortly after the left the building. Passers-by tried to put out the fire and informed Rescue 1122.
He was taken to the trauma centre and later to the DHQ hospital, where doctors said that he had 30 per cent burns. They said he would likely survive.
BISE Regional Chairman Dr Muhammad Anwar was not available for his comments.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 30th, 2013.