The Gourbanga University in Malda witnessed a gruesome incident on Thursday as a former student entered the campus and stabbed a 22-year-old girl who is a current student.
The youth also attempted suicide by hacking himself with the same knife.
Both of them are under treatment at Malda Medical College & Hospital (MMCH) in critical condition. Police officers have visited the spot and initiated a probe.
Sources said like any other day, academic activities were going on at the varsity. Those who didn’t have classes were scattered and chatting with their friends.
“Around 1pm, we heard a scream of a girl from the science building. Assuming that something serious had happened, we rushed to the building and found the girl, who is a second-semester student in the mathematics department, lying in a pool of blood while the youth was stabbing her repeatedly,” said a student who didn’t wish to be named.
As the students approached, the youth threatened to attack them. He then left the girl and tried to run away. More students, along with teachers and security guards, reached the spot.
“As they tried to catch him, he started hacking himself. After some time, they could snatch the knife from him. Both were then rushed to MMCH,” the student added.
Vice-chancellor Pabitra Chattopadhyay and other officials visited the spot. Englishbazar police also arrived.
Rajeev Patitandi, the university’s additional deputy registrar, said the girl had come to write her exam papers.
The attacker is a former student who completed his postgraduation in physics from the varsity in 2021. He is from Sambalpur in the Ratua block of Malda district and is 26.
Sources at the varsity said they didn’t know why the youth had tried to kill the girl.
In MMCH, doctors said the girl suffered serious injuries in her airway and vocal cord. “The youth is in equally critical condition. Doctors are conducting surgeries,” said a source.
The incident has made the Trinamul Chhatra Parishad (TMCP) demand the deployment of more security personnel at the varsity.
“We will take up the issue with the concerned authorities soon,” said Prasun Roy, the district TMCP president of Malda.
