Varanasi: The Uday Pratap College here turned into a battlefield after a 23-year-old student was shot dead by a fellow student on Friday.
A personal dispute led to the fatal shooting, according to police.
The accused, identified as Manjeet Chauhan, opened fire at BA fourth-semester student Surya Pratap Singh from close range around 11 am in a corridor of the Social Sciences faculty building. Surya Pratap was rushed to a private hospital and later referred to the BHU Trauma Centre, where he died at night while undergoing treatment.
Rishidev Singh, the victim’s father, broke down when the body was taken for postmortem, and insisted that cremation won’t be performed until the accused is killed in an encounter.
The killing triggered violent protests in the college, with angry students locking the main gate and vandalising property. A number of vehicles were damaged, and at some teachers were attacked, one of whom suffered a head injury and was taken to hospital under police protection.
As tension escalated, a heavy police force had to be deployed, with cops having to escort trapped teachers and non-teaching staff out of the campus.
“Preliminary enquiry suggests the shooting was a result of mutual enmity between the students,” Varanasi Police Commissioner Mohit Agarwal said.
A case has been registered against Manjeet and Anuj Thakur, who was reportedly with him during the incident.
