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Minor attacked with machete outside Kothrud college after HSC exam
A 17-year-old student was injured by a machete attack outside an exam center in Pune, linked to an old rivalry over a girl.
PUNE: A 17-year-old student appearing for the Class 12 board examination was injured after being attacked with a koyta (machete) outside the exam centre, Mamasaheb Mohol College, in Kothrud on Tuesday afternoon, police said.
The incident occurred around 3pm after the student exited the college premises on completing his Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examination. Police identified the victim as Shankar Mirgane, who was appearing for the exam as a private candidate and was not formally enrolled at the college.
According to investigators, three minors were involved in the assault. One suspect, also a minor, has been detained, while a search is on for the remaining two.
Deputy commissioner of police (Zone III) Sambhaji Kadam said the attack appeared to be linked to an old rivalry. “Preliminary investigation suggests the victim and the three suspects had studied in the same school in Warje Malwadi. Around two to three years ago, when they were in Class 10, they had a dispute over a girl. Tuesday’s attack seems to be a fallout of that earlier conflict,” Kadam said.
Mirgane sustained a head injury in the attack. Police said the injury is not grievous and that he is out of danger. A team from the Kothrud police station reached the spot soon after the incident and seized the machete allegedly used in the attack. Further investigation is underway.
The incident comes months after a similar case of violence involving minors in Pune district. In December last year, a 16-year-old boy fatally stabbed a fellow student during a coaching class session in Rajgurunagar following an earlier dispute. In that case, the Pune rural police moved the Juvenile Justice Board seeking to try the accused as an adult.
