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A jilted lover set a 21-year-old woman on fire and immolated himself at a medical college in Kerala's Kottayam district on Wednesday, February 1. They succumbed to their burn injuries late on Wednesday.

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The shocking incident took place in a classroom of School of Medical Education (SME) when the woman, identified as physiotherapy student K Lakshmi, was with her friends. The assailant has been identified 25-year-old S Adarsh, a former student of college.

Lakshmi's friends told police that Adarsh had approached her to talk to her on Wednesday afternoon. But she rebuffed him. Adarsh then left the place in a huff, only to return with a can of petrol.

The eyewitnesses claim that Lakshmi ran for help from the classroom to the library, but Adarsh followed her and set her ablaze using a cigarette lighter. Adarsh immediately doused himself with petrol and set himself on fire.

Other students alerted police who reached the spot and rushed them to hospital. Both of them had suffered serious burn injuries.

During preliminary probe, police found out that Adarsh was upset over his strained relationship with Lakshmi.