The fatal stabbing of 21-year-old Panjab University student Aditya Thakur at a concert on March 28 was a result of a scuffle that broke out after a group of students objected to an outsider blocking their view, police investigation has revealed.
According to police, the altercation began when students from the University Institute of Engineering and Technology (UIET) confronted Lavish, an outsider who was standing on a chair and obstructing the view of attendees behind him. Lavish, 19, a student of CGC, Landran, who was later arrested, was allegedly pushed by the students, leading to a heated exchange of words.
Following the argument, both groups — one comprising UIET students and the other outsiders — decided to confront each other at an open ground near the venue. A security guard intervened and asked the outsiders to leave the venue. However, minutes later, the two sides clashed again. The outsiders returned with reinforcements, some of whom were armed with sticks and a knife.
During the ensuing fight, a 17-year-old minor, identified as a wrestler from Almora district of Uttarakhand, stabbed Aditya in the thigh, severing a major vein and causing rapid blood loss. The teenager, who is not a PU student, had gained access to the campus by using a fake digital ID card created on his mobile phone. While he avoided the main venue due to a knife in his possession, he watched the event from a distance.
{{/usCountry}}During the ensuing fight, a 17-year-old minor, identified as a wrestler from Almora district of Uttarakhand, stabbed Aditya in the thigh, severing a major vein and causing rapid blood loss. The teenager, who is not a PU student, had gained access to the campus by using a fake digital ID card created on his mobile phone. While he avoided the main venue due to a knife in his possession, he watched the event from a distance.
{{/usCountry}}The minor remained at large for four days before finally being apprehended by police on Thursday. Police have recovered the knife used in the crime, along with the minor’s clothes and mobile phone.
Police confirmed that the other accused – Lavish, Udey, Raghav and Sahil, who were earlier arrested, had concert passes. Udey and Raghav are students of Sri Guru Gobind Singh (SGGS) College, Sector 26.
Outsiders gained easy access to concert
The case has cast a spotlight on the security arrangements at PU, particularly in terms of monitoring access and verifying the identity of attendees at campus events.
Police deployment was already in place around the concert venue due to a security alert concerning Haryanvi singer Masoom Sharma, who was performing at the event.
However, the responsibility of regulating entry into the venue rested with Panjab University authorities and the event organisers—led by PU Campus Students Council joint secretary Jasvinder Rana—raising questions over lapses in screening and identity verification of attendees.
Meanwhile, students have raised concerns about the response time of the police, alleging that there was a delay of 15–20 minutes in taking Aditya to the hospital. They claim that Aditya was made to wait in the car of PGI Chowki In-charge during this critical period. However, police have refuted the allegations, stating that the vehicle’s driver had momentarily stepped away to use the washroom, and by the time a PCR call was made, the victim had already been transported to the hospital.
Students to intensify protest
A group of students, who have continued to protest even after financial relief to Aditya’s parents and the arrest of the accused, have announced that they will shut down the university on Monday. Led by PUCSC vice-president Archit Garg, they are demanding ₹1-crore relief from the authorities for Aditya’s parents and resignation of officials, including dean student welfare, vice-chancellor and chief of university security. On Friday, they went to the physics, chemistry and chemical engineering departments, urging students to boycott classes till justice is not delivered to Aditya’s family. They are also sitting on a chain hunger strike.