E-Paper
Symbiosis student suffers burn injuries in suspected acid attack
A 24-year-old student at Symbiosis Institute of Management Studies in Pune suffered burn injuries after an unidentified person allegedly threw an acid-like chemical at him when he was sleeping in his hostel room last week, police said on Tuesday.
A 24-year-old student at Symbiosis Institute of Management Studies in Pune suffered burn injuries after an unidentified person allegedly threw an acid-like chemical at him when he was sleeping in his hostel room last week, police said on Tuesday.
While the incident at Symbiosis Boys Hostel at Range Hills in Khadki took place on Saturday, it came to light on Monday after the victim, who suffered injuries on his hand, filed a complaint, police added.
The victim was identified as Ashishkumar Narendrakumar Das, who is from Odisha and a second-year MBA degree student at the institute
According to inspector Girish Dighavkar at Khadki Police Station, Das, in his complaint, said the unidentified person entered his room around 9pm on Saturday and threw an acid-like chemical at him before fleeing the spot.
“We are treating this as a medico-legal case. The student is out of danger and we have registered a first information report (FIR) in this regard. There is no CCTV on the fourth floor of the hostel where the victim’s room is situated. We have collected samples of the chemical and sent it for forensic analysis. A probe is underway,” inspector Girish Dighavkar at Khadki Police Station said.
According to police officers aware of the details, the accused entered Das’s room with the acid-like chemical in a plastic container. As he threw the substance on the second-year student who was sleeping, the latter screamed and tried to rush out of the room but found the door locked from outside. He was rescued by his hostel mates.
When contacted, Symbiosis Society principal director Dr Vidya Yeravdekar said: “We are equally disturbed by the incident. The student was sleeping in his room and somebody threw some chemical on him. Fortunately, a majority of the substance fell on the curtains and some fell on his arm due to which he sustained burn injuries.”
Yeravdekar also said the accused immediately fled the room after the attack and locked the door from outside. “We checked the exits and entries to the hostel and did not find anybody. We don’t know who might have done this. We took the injured to a hospital where he was treated and are trying to find out who is behind the incident. We are fully cooperating with the police and all the hostel boys are being interrogated,” she said.
Police have filed the FIR under sections 326-A (acid attack), 342 (wrongful confinement) and 448 (house-trespass) of Indian Penal Code.
