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Teen who stabbed Panjab University student lands in Chandigarh Police net
17-year-old boy, co-accused used fake IDs to gain entry to March 28 concert on Panjab University’s south campus in Sector 25, say Chandigarh Police
On the run since the March 28 stabbing of a Panjab University student at a concert, which led to his death, the main accused, just 17 years old, has landed in police net.
Police, who have also recovered the knife used in the crime, said amid a violent brawl, the teenager had brutally stabbed the victim in the thigh, resulting in excessive bleeding and ultimately death.
The victim, Aditya Thakur, 21, was a second-year computer science student at UIET and hailed from Hoshiarpur, Punjab.
Within two days of his tragic death, police had arrested four of the accused, all aged 19 and 20. Three of them are students of CGC, Landran; and Sri Guru Gobind Singh College, Sector 26.
During interrogation in custody, they disclosed that they had used fake ID proofs to gain access to the concert of singer Masoom Sharma on university’s south campus in Sector 25 on March 28.
While leaving the concert, they got into a minor altercation with Aditya 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 outside the concert venue.
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 and his friends, launching a brutal assault.
The attack had left three PU students injured — Aditya suffered a stab injury in the thigh, his friend Arjun Dalal sustained a stab wound in the back, and another friend Aniruddha received a head injury caused by a stick.
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.
PU announces ₹12.3-lakh relief for victim’s family
Panjab University has announced a financial relief of ₹12.3 lakh for the parents of victim Aditya Thakur.
The PU vice-chancellor (V-C) had constituted a committee under the current and former dean of student welfare (DSW) to determine the relief measures.
As per the committee, ₹5 lakh will be sanctioned to Aditya’s parents from the Poor Student Welfare Fund under the DSW office. Further ₹6 lakh will be sanctioned from the amalgamated fund, to be dispersed in three equal instalments over three years.
The DWS, DSW women and associate DSW have also voluntarily pledged their total honorarium for one year to the family, which comes out to around ₹1.3 lakh.
Speaking about this, Panjab University Campus Students Council (PUCSC) president Anurag Dalal, who had been accompanying Aditya’s father in recent protests, said the family had accepted the compensation, and sought that the amount be placed in a fixed deposit (FD) in the name of Aditya’s sister.
His father, Parveen, remained unavailable for a comment.
PU has also assured the family that they will provide his younger sister, currently in Class 9, free under-graduation and post-graduation education, along with free hostel stay, should she choose to pursue higher studies at PU.
DSW Amit Chauhan said, “The family has agreed to lift the dharna from outside the V-C office. We have assured them that we will also look into making an improved standard operating procedure (SoP) for organising such events in PU. Police will also be roped in.”
Stating that since the family had expressed their acceptance and all accused responsible for the attack had been arrested, students should also stop their protests.
A magisterial inquiry by the sub-divisional magistrate (SDM, Central) is already underway.
“PU will take further action based on the magisterial inquiry marked into the matter,” Chauhan said. The SDM was present at the site of the incident on Thursday, with a report expected in two weeks.
Former PPS officer appointed as OSD for PU security
In an effort to upscale its campus security, PU has appointed retired Punjab Police officer Tejinder Singh Sandhu as officer on special duty (OSD), campus security.
A PPS officer, Sandhu had retired as superintendent of police (Detective), Bathinda, on October 31, 2024. In 2018, while posted as deputy superintendent of police (DSP), state special operation cell (SSOC), Punjab, he was involved in the arrest of gangster Dilpreet Singh Dahan from the Sector-43 ISBT in Chandigarh. He was the one who had shot the gangster in his leg. His wife, Harjeet Kaur, is also posted as a DSP in Chandigarh Police.
PU has also appointed professor Anil Monga as adviser, campus security. He is former chief of university security and former chairperson of varsity’s police administration department. They will conduct a comprehensive security audit of the university and implement measures to enhance campus and hostel safety.
PU vice-chancellor Renu Vig said PU was upgrading its security and also looking at hiring around 8-9 ex-servicemen as security officers. The varsity will approach the Sainik Zila Parishad for this while also increasing the strength of its security staff.
PUCSC vice-president resigns over ‘lack of accountability’
Even as a group of students lifted their dharna from outside the V-C office on Thursday, the group on protest at Student Centre will intensify their stir from Friday onwards.
PUCSC vice-president Archit Garg of National Students Union of India (NSUI) submitted a resignation letter to the university chancellor, alleging lack of accountability at PU’s end for the March 28 incident.
While the family has given the call to end the protest, the students have decided to organise a demonstration at the physics, chemistry and chemical engineering departments on Friday. They are also organising a chain hunger strike, demanding the resignations of the vice-chancellor, DSW and chief of university security.
(With inputs from Rajanbir Singh)
