Gaurav Singh, in his early 20s, had been suspended by the BHU administration last year.
Highlights
- 23-year-old student was shot at thrice inside the campus Tuesday evening
- He was taken to the university's hospital; died at around 1:30 am
- Four students of the university have been arrested
A suspended student of Banaras Hindu University (BHU) in Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi died after he was shot thrice right outside the gates of a hostel inside the university campus on Tuesday evening. Four students of the university have been arrested and the first woman chief proctor of Banaras Hindu University has been named in the police complaint.
Gaurav Singh, 23, had been suspended by the university administration last year for his alleged role in violence that singed the campus in 2017 over the issue of safety of students. He was accused of helping to burn down a bus in the violence. The student was doing his masters at Banaras Hindu University.
In September 2017, a number of students, including women, and two journalists were injured in a baton-charge by the police in BHU where a protest against an alleged incident of harassment turned violent.
At around 6:30 pm on Tuesday, Gaurav Singh was standing outside the gates of the Birla Hostel and chatting with friends when four people on two motorcycles shot at him, and escaped. Gaurav Singh took three bullets in his stomach and was rushed to the trauma centre inside the campus. He died at around 1:30 am. The attackers are yet to be identified.
The police said ten bullets were fired at Gaurav Singh. The four students were been arrested after a police complaint or First Information Report was filed based on a complaint by the Gaurav Singh's father.
Royana Singh, the first woman chief proctor of Banaras Hindu University, too has been named in the FIR. She was appointed for the top job in 2017 after the clashes that year. While the exact role of the students in the murder is unclear, a friend of Gaurav Singh claimed that the four were seen in the chief proctor's room a few days ago.
"It seems there was some personal enmity that has led to the killing. We are investigating all angles," said Varanasi police chief Anand Kulkarni.
The university is shut today following tension after the murder. Police and paramilitary forces have been deployed inside the university campus, and the police have appealed to the students to maintain calm.