Murder, suicide in Viswa Bharati girls’ hostel

The girl has been identified at Saswati Pal, a BMus student of third year. The youth was Amaresh Kundu, driver attached to Tollygunge police station, Kolkata, who stole the weapon, a 9 mm revolver, from the Additional OC of Tollygunge police station.

The incident took place around noon in Ananda Sadan near Sangit Bhawan.

“Preliminary investigation points to a love story,” said Laksminarayan Meena, Superintendent of Police, Birbhum. Kundu had apparently taken revenge after being spurned by the girl.

The two were residents of Ghatal in West Midnapur.

According to eyewitnesses, Saswati had been attending classes at Sangit Bhawan since 8 am. Around noon, fellow students saw her having an altercation with Kundu near Black House inside Sangit Bhawan campus, around 100 yards from the hostel. Minutes later, she returned to the hostel, where Kundu followed her.

“He was carrying a Webly Scott pistol. There was no guard and he went in unchallenged. First, he went to the visitors’ room at the ground floor of the three-storied building. Then he walked into Saswati’s room at the south western corner of the building,” said a police officer.

He locked the room from inside and at 12.15, locals heard two gunshots in quick succession. Alarmed students and hostel employees broke into the room to find them lying in a pool of blood.

Saswati was shot in the chest and Kundu had shot himself on the head. The police was called in. Kundu, who had been admitted in Bolpur subdivisional hospital in a critical condition, was shifted to Burdwan Medical College and Hospital around 7:30 pm after his condition worsened. He died around 10:30 pm.

Rajat Kanti Roy, Vice-Chancellor of the university is currently in Bangalore. Acting Vice-Chancellor Nokul Mondol held a meeting to review the situation.

“The university is deeply shocked by the incident. At the hospital, Saswati was declared dead on arrival. The university administration has taken all possible measures to redress the situation with the help of district administration and police,” said Amitava Chowdhury, deputy registrar and public relations officers in a press statement.

The students held the university authorities responsible for the incident and decided to boycott classes tomorrow as a mark of protest.