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Panjab University student’s murder case cracked with arrest of 4
Aged 19 and 20, three of the accused are students of CGC, Landran, and SGGS College, Sector 26, Chandigarh; had allegedly stabbed a UIET student in the thigh at a concert, claiming his life
Chandigarh Police have arrested four youths allegedly involved in the fatal stabbing of 21-year-old UIET student Aditya Thakur at Panjab University’s Sector 25 campus on the night of March 28.
The accused have been identified as Lavish, a student of CGC, Landran; Udey and Raghav, both students of Sri Guru Gobind Singh (SGGS) College, Sector 26; and Sahil—all residents of Manimajra and aged between 19 and 20.
Thakur, hailing from Hoshiarpur, Punjab, was a second-year computer science student at UIET.
According to police officials, detailed investigation, combined with technical surveillance, led to the accused’s swift arrest within two days of the attack.
Efforts are underway to trace and arrest the remaining assailants as well, they said.
During interrogation, the accused reportedly confessed to their involvement in the murderous attack.
According to investigators, the youths revealed that they had attended the musical concert by Haryanvi singer Masoom Sharma, organised on UIET’s Sector 25 campus, where they got into a minor altercation with victim Aditya Thakur and his friends while exiting the venue due to heavy crowding.
After initially parting ways, they reconvened outside the concert venue, where their other friends instigated them, saying, “Let’s teach them a lesson.”
Motivated by revenge, they ambushed Aditya and his friends near Boys Hostel Number 8.
Police revealed that the attack took place in an unlit area of the ground, which was not part of the concert venue. The accused told police that they were frisked by security personnel and were not carrying any weapons inside the event.
After the initial argument while leaving the venue, the accused met their friends outside the concert area, who had been watching from a distance and were armed with knives and sticks. Together, they returned and ambushed Aditya Thakur and his friends, launching a brutal assault.
It is pertinent to mention that security was deployed at the concert venue due to threats against the singer, necessitating precautionary measures. However, the open ground where the attack took place lacked police presence, and no Panjab University security personnel were stationed there.
During the confrontation, one of the accused stabbed Aditya in the right thigh, leading to massive blood loss, while another victim suffered a stab wound in the back, and a third student sustained a head injury from a stick attack. The assailants then fled the scene, leaving Aditya in a critical condition.
According to police, the attack was not premeditated but escalated in the heat of the moment as the crowd surged toward the exit. In the chaos of leaving the venue, tensions flared between the groups involved, leading to a violent confrontation.
Despite efforts to stem the bleeding with a makeshift tourniquet, Aditya lost over 2-3 litres of blood before being rushed to PGIMER’s emergency ward, where he succumbed to his injuries after battling for life for 12 hours.
Student parties demand accountability
A day after the death of Aditya Thakur, protests by varsity students, seeking accountability, refused to die down outside the offices of Dean Student Welfare (DSW) and Vice-Chancellor.
Even as the university was closed for Sunday, students continued to protest on the campus, alleging negligence by varsity authorities and police that led to Thakur’s death.
All parties have announced a joint protest, demanding the resignation of the V-C, the DSW and the PU chief of university security.
Panjab University Campus Students Council (PUCSC) vice-president Archit Garg announced that if the authorities failed to take major action within 48 hours, he will resign from his post.
Meanwhile, authorities have yet to act against the students who vandalised the DSW office amid their agitation on Saturday. PU chief of university security Vikram Singh said he sympathised with the students, but vandalism or threatening PU officials wasn’t the solution. He added that as of now PU had not initiated any action against them.
