Student attacks classmate with axe in JNU,later kills self

While Akash succumbed to injuries,Roshni is battling for life — she has at least 10 injuries on her head and neck — in Safdarjung hospital. Police said they have recovered a two-page suicide note (written both in English and Hindi) in which Akash has expressed his love for Roshni and said “his ego has been hurt and that he would end this chapter”.

Police said Akash,who hails from Gaya in Bihar,and Roshni,who belongs to Muzaffarpur in Bihar,met during their first year in JNU. According to police,the assault took place around 11 am in classroom number 213. The first class for the day had gotten over and the students were taking a recess,when Akash,who was seated a few rows behind Roshni,walked up to her and began speaking to her. According to students present there,Akash asked all of them to clear out of the classroom.

Speaking to Newsline,an eyewitness said,“We thought he was joking. Suddenly,we heard her (Roshni) screaming and by the time we could react,Akash pulled out a pistol and began threatening us with it. He asked us to stay away and not intervene. He attacked Roshni who fell to the ground. He continued to hack Roshni with an axe on her head and hands. He then slit his throat with the axe. Simultaneously,he took out some tablets and consumed them. He also consumed a poisonous liquid. Later,he put the pistol to his head and fired,but the bullet got jammed. He began vomiting and fell unconscious.”

Abhishek,a PhD scholar in Hindi Literature,said,“We heard the commotion and ran to the classroom. When we reached the entrance to the classroom,he was brandishing the gun saying ‘mere paas mat aao,warna goli maar doonga (Don’t come near me,or else,I’ll shoot). He then committed suicide. The security system is so lax. How could he enter the campus with so many weapons?”

A security officer made a PCR call at 11.26 am stating that a man had attacked a woman inside the School of Languages. Two PCR vans were rushed to the spot. However,by then,the students had taken the two to the hospital.

Speaking to Newsline,professor Kamal Mitra Chenoy said,“Roshni was first taken to AIIMS Trauma Centre where she was refused admission since there weren’t enough beds available. We then took her to Safdarjung hospital. She was asked by her friends to report the matter to the gender sensitisation committee. But she never went.”

DCP (South) B S Jaiswal said,“We have registered a case and are investigating how he procured the weapons.”

Safdarjung hospital doctors said Roshni’s condition continued to be critical and had to be operated upon for a second time on Wednesday to manage a clot in her brain. “Her vitals started dipping in the evening,so we did a second CT scan. This showed a large clot,so a second surgery was conducted to remove this,” a doctor said.

Doctors said Roshni suffered multiple skull fractures,a wrist fracture and a tendon tear in her right hand. “She continues to be critical and is on ventilator support in our neurosurgery ICU,” the doctor said.

Suicide note points to a friendship gone sour

Express news service

New Delhi,July 31

Wednesday’s brutal scenes in classroom number 213,fellow students said,was the tragic culmination of a friendship which began on campus. Students of the Korean Studies at the School of Languages,JNU,recalled how Akash and Roshni were often seen together the first year of the course.

The two spent long hours in the library. Akash’s two-page suicide,which was recovered by police,mentions how “this went on for two years,till one day,all of a sudden,Roshni cut all contact with him. She began avoiding me and no longer expressed her feelings to me”.

Based on this letter,police believe that the unrequited love led him to brutally assault Roshni and later end his life.

“She shared her notes with me and we both went to the library together quite often… we were good friends… Of late,she had stopped responding to me. She stopped coming with me to the library or spending time with me. She no longer responded to my phone calls… She has hurt my ego and I am going to end this chapter forever,” the note read.

Students said Akash was quite popular in college. “He was cheerful and mingled with everyone. But of late,he appeared disturbed. He had suddenly become an introvert,” a student in Akash’s hostel said.

A friend of Roshni’s said,“A few months ago,Roshni told her roommate that Akash had been following her around and that he had become obsessed with her. She had started avoiding him and did not know how to deal with him. She continued maintaining her distance.”