A Class 12 student died on Saturday after allegedly pouring an inflammable substance on herself and setting herself on fire at Sarvodaya Bal/Balika Vidyalaya in East Delhi Krishna Nagar area, officials said on Saturday.

The incident triggered panic among teachers and students on the school premises, prompting the authorities to initiate an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the student’s death.

Officials said certain suspicious items were reportedly found in the student’s school bag. However, the nature of these items has not yet been officially confirmed, and the police are examining the circumstances that led to the incident.

According to officials, a Police Control Room (PCR) call reporting a fire incident was received from the school located in the Krishna Nagar area of Delhi’s Shahdara district.

“Upon receipt of the information, police staff from PS Krishna Nagar promptly reached the spot, where an approximately 18-year-old female student of Class 12th was found in a burnt condition behind the school guard room,” officials said.

They further stated that some materials were recovered during the initial proceedings at the scene and from the deceased student’s school bag. These items are being examined as part of the investigation.

“During preliminary proceedings, certain materials were recovered from the spot and the deceased girl’s school bag,” they added.

The police said a Crime Team of the Delhi Police was called to the school to inspect the scene, examine the circumstances and collect relevant evidence that could help establish the sequence of events leading to the incident.

“The circumstances leading to the incident are being examined, and further enquiry is in progress,” the police said.

A fire brigade team and police personnel were also present at the school as authorities began investigating the incident.

The police are examining the available evidence and the materials recovered from the spot to determine the circumstances surrounding the student’s death.

The investigation is ongoing, and officials have not yet confirmed the nature of the suspicious items reportedly recovered from the student’s bag.

Further details are expected to emerge as the police continue their enquiry into the incident.

An FIR has been registered against unidentified persons after two posters against the government were found pasted inside a train on the Delhi Metro’s Airport Express Line, police said on Saturday.

The FIR was registered under Sections of the Delhi Prevention of Defacement of Public Property Act, 2007, and the Metro Railway (Operations and Maintenance) Act, 2002.

“The black-and-white posters raised various issues and listed nine claims about changes in the country over recent years. They also carried a QR code inviting people to join an online group,” police said.

Officials said that police seized the posters, and the Special Cell is also involved in the investigation.

This comes amid the anti-Election Commission of India (ECI) protests in the National Capital over the alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Review (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Several Opposition parties, student activists, as well as the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) organised protests across the city demanding a rollback of the SIR protest and resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.

Meanwhile, the INDIA Bloc has scheduled a mega rally against ‘vote chori’ on November 1 in New Delhi.

All India Congress Committee General Secretary, K.C. Venugopal on Friday said the party held high-level meetings with senior leaders from Uttar Pradesh and Haryana to intensify mobilisation for the rally.

In a post on X, Venugopal said that he, along with Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, met AICC in-charge for Uttar Pradesh Rajendra Pal Gautam, UP PCC president Aradhana Misra Mona and other senior leaders from the state to discuss strategies for building large-scale participation in the rally.

The November 1 rally is being projected as one of the largest mobilisations by the Opposition alliance in recent times, with a special focus on drawing participation from northern states.

The Congress has appealed to supporters and citizens concerned about democratic processes to join the march and the Ramleela Maidan gathering in large numbers.

Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) Chairperson Sonia Gandhi has shared a video on social media recalling how her love story with former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi began in 1965 at a small Greek restaurant called The Varsity in Cambridge, England.

In her debut post on X, Sonia Gandhi spoke about her upcoming memoir, ‘Belonging: A Journey of Love’, which is scheduled to be released on November 10. She also shared personal memories of her life with Rajiv Gandhi, offering a glimpse into the early days of their relationship through recollections and old photographs.

“In a small Greek restaurant in Cambridge, my journey of love began. Rajiv and I created a world filled with love, laughter and memories. On 10th November, I share that world with you,” she said.

Recalling their first meeting at the Greek restaurant in Cambridge in 1965, Sonia spoke warmly about Rajiv Gandhi and the qualities that attracted her to him.

“Of course he was very good-looking,” she said.

She also remembered the difficulties of finding good food in England during those days, explaining that restaurants were relatively few and that she eventually discovered a Greek restaurant frequented by Indian and Italian students.

She recalled how the restaurant became the setting for the beginning of their relationship.

“That is when I met Rajiv; in that very restaurant. When I first met him, I felt almost immediately that he was someone I would really love to be with. And of course, I learned out he felt the same. I remember when I first met him, a common friend introduced us and then we became friends. We used to go to parties with friends,” Sonia recalled.

Reflecting on Rajiv Gandhi’s personality, she said his gentle nature had left a lasting impression on her from the very beginning.

“He was a very gentle-looking person. Of course he was very good-looking, but that gentleness came through. That was something that really touched me and struck me. I’ll never forget when I first met him,” she added.

Sonia Gandhi’s post on X marked her first appearance on the social media platform.

Earlier on Thursday, she also joined Instagram, where she shared a message introducing her forthcoming memoir and expressing gratitude for being able to present its first look to readers.

“Hello everyone, I’m truly grateful to share this moment with you all: the first look of Belonging: A Journey of Love. It is a story of love, duty, loss, and finding a place to belong. I look forward to sharing it with you,” Sonia Gandhi wrote in her first Instagram post while sharing the first look of the book.

In the video shared on Instagram, Sonia Gandhi is seen receiving the first copies of her book and sharing sweets with her daughter and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. The two were also seen hugging.

The book is set to launch on November 10, while pre-orders have been opened. The memoir is being published globally by Alfred A. Knopf, with HarperCollins India handling its release in the country.

Spanning 544 pages, the book traces Sonia Gandhi’s journey from her childhood in post-war Italy to her meeting and eventual relationship with Rajiv Gandhi. It also chronicles the personal tragedies that shaped her life, including the assassinations of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, and explores her subsequent role in Indian politics.