A 22-year-old JNU student was attacked by an axe-wielding classmate in the campus on Wednesday. While the victim, Roshni Kumari Gupta, has been admitted to hospital with serious injuries, the classmate killed himself immediately after the incident.
The accused, 23-year-old Akash Kumar, had been stalking Gupta for a while. Both are third-year students pursuing Korean Studies in the School of Language.
The incident took place around 11am when students were taking a break in between classes. Kumar, who was also carrying a country-made pistol and a knife, allegedly forced his way into the classroom number 213 and asked all students to move out of the way, threatening them with his gun.
He had a heated argument with Gupta, and started hitting her repeatedly on the neck and scalp with the axe. He then consumed poison and slashed his own neck.
All this while, students watched in horror. It was only when Kumar fell to the ground that they rushed the two to the hospital.
Friends of the victim said Kumar, who lived in Jhelum hostel, had been upset after Gupta, who lived in Shipra hostel, spurned his advances. Others gave a slightly different version, saying that the two had been in a relationship, which Gupta ended, and Kumar had been pursuing her ever since.
“They were good friends, but some issues had cropped up between them lately,” said a student who did not wish to be named.
Some friends also said that Kumar took the extreme step after being admonished by his father. Apparently, his father had found out that Kumar was lying about being in a loving relationship with Gupta.
Students who witnessed Wednesday’s ordeal said that Kumar, who hails from Gaya, threatened to shoot them if they tried to help Gupta, a resident of Muzaffarpur. “Akash
forced us to move out and we were helpless. It was only when he fell to the ground that we entered the class and took both of them to hospital,” said one of the eyewitnesses.
While Kumar died at AIIMS due to poisoning, Gupta is admitted to Safdarjung Hospital in a critical situation. “Her condition is critical... She has serious injuries on her neck and scalp,” doctors attending to Gupta said.
The police have lodged a case against Kumar and have recovered a country-made pistol, a knife, an axe and some poisonous substance from him. “It seems to be an ego issue as the two were close friends. We have also recovered a note from Kumar, which points to a strained relationship between them,” said BS Jaiswal, deputy commissinor of police (south).
JNU professor Kamal Mitra Chenoy alleged that the girl was first taken to AIIMS, but was refused admission and had to be rushed to Safdarjung.
The JNU administration has initiated a preliminary inquiry into the incident. “The administration is taking every possible step to ensure that such incidents are not repeated,” a statement said.
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