City Superintendent of Police Chandan Jha said police personnel had prior information in this regard and they caught Kranti Singh as he tried to set himself ablaze in front of the Deputy Commissioner's office in East Singh bhum district.
The 35-year-old man was accompanied by other AAP activists when the incident occurred.
He has been taken into custody, Jha said.
Singh has been protesting against the 'whimsical' decision of private schools to increase fees and tried to self-immolate to draw the attention of the administration in this regard, said Jitendra Kumar, Officer-in-charge of Bistupur police station.
Mardi said he has no information about Singh's self-immolation bid.