Aurangabad
Fed up with constant mental torture, Puja had lodged a complaint with Begumpura police station on November 17 against her one-sided lover Gajanan, who hugged her while being ablaze at the Government Institute of Science (GIS) on Monday. Her sister and brother-in-law had also escorted her to the police station. Similarly, she also lodged a complaint of teasing against him with Cidco police station, a few months back. The Cidco police had taken prohibitory action against Gajanan, said PI of Begumpura police station Prashant Potdar.
Police rush to the crime spot
On receiving the information, PI Potdar along with other officers and constables immediately rushed to the crime spot. Later, DCP Aparna Gitay, ACP Ashok Thorat, crime branch PI Avinash Aghav, City Chowk PI Ashok Bhandare, special branch PI Pramod Katane and others went to the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) and communicated with Gajanan. PI Amrapali Tayade of Bharosa Cell, Osmanpura PI Geeta Bagwade also went to GMCH to register Puja's statement. A huge police bandobast was deployed here.
Puja's relatives cry in grief
Puja is a native of Dahegaon in Sillod tehsil. Her father was a teacher and died recently. She has five more sisters and a brother. Puja is the youngest among the siblings. He received a scholarship for her research studies. Her two sisters live in Aurangabad and they reached GMCH when they came to know about the incident. They started screaming in grief. Her relatives alleged that the incident would be averted if the police would have taken action at time when the complaints were lodged.
Gajanan claims betrayal
According to the statement given by Gajanan, he claimed that he had affair with the girl. They are married to each other and he has spent Rs 2.5 lakh on her. However, she started ignoring him for the past few months and betrayed him. His life was ruined due to it and he took this extreme step, he told the police. Before the incident, he has written a letter in which he mentioned the sequence of events, said PI Prashant Potdar.
One sided-love caused mental torture for many days
Ablaze Puja in her statement said, Gajanan was torturing her for the past few months. She had even lodged police complaints against him. Still, he continued the torture in unrequited love. He pressurized her to marry him. This incident occurred as she refused him.
University established inquiry committee
Meanwhile, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University (BAMU) vice-chancellor Dr Pramod Yeole established a committee to inquire into the immolation episode. Registrar Dr Bhagwan Sakhle will head it while the other members are Dr E R Martin and Dr Anjali Rajbhoj. The committee has been directed to submit the report in two days. The committee along with the director of the board of examination Dr Ganesh Manza, medical officer Dr Anand Somwanshi and security officer B L Ingale met the ablaze students.
Challenge of investigation for police
The investigation has become a challenge for the police due to the adverse statements of both students. The mystery will be revealed after the investigation of the mobile call details, WhatsApp chats, notes in the dairies, and others.
Students shocked by incident
Gajanan belonged to a very poor family and he had come to Aurangabad for education purposes. He had taken strenuous efforts to get admission for the Ph.D course. Puja gained admission for Ph.D after clearing GRF examination. The other research students and guides in the university are shaken by this incident.