A peon, an eyewitness to the attack on a professor during students' elections in Madhav college in Ujjain, on Wednesday said the academic was attacked by a mob of 25-30 people and no one came forward to help him.

The peon, Komal Singh Sengar, who was injured in the incident on August 26 and is now recuperating in hospital, told reporters there was a bespectacled man in the crowd who abused Professor H S Sabharwal and instigated the others to attack him.

"Police have been very harsh in interrogating me. I fear that I might be trapped in the murder case," Sengar told reporters. The key eyewitness to the incident on Wednesday expressed fear that he might be implicated in the case.

"The man wearing glasses was hurling abuses and he said, 'This man is Sabharwal. Hit him,'" Sengar said. "There was a mob of at least 25-30 people. One of them kicked the scooter and he fell down after which the others pounced on him. Exactly who among the crowd hit him I could not see. By the time I reached the spot along with police they had all fled the scene," he said.

The peon said he too was beaten up by a group of unruly students. "I will be able to recognise them in photographs," he said. According to Sengar, no one came forth to help Sabharwal.

"Neither the principal nor any student or official gave me a helping hand. When I lifted the Professor (to take him to hospital), the others simply disappeared from the scene". Students, allegedly belonging to the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, attacked Sabharwal after he cancelled polls following allegations of irregularities. Sabharwal was supervising students' union elections.