Denial of apology instigates researcher to take extreme step

Lokmat News Network

Aurangabad

A research student from the Zoology department of Dr Babasaheb Amedkar Marathwada University (BAMU) immolated himself at the laboratory of Government Institute of Forensic Science and hugged the girl research student in one-sided love on Monday. The student Gajanan Munde succumbed to burns while the girl is being treated.

Commissioner of police Dr Nikhil Gupta has established a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the case. The team included Osmanpura PI Geeta Bagwade, Mukundwadi PSI Vaishali Gulve and cyber police station PSI Rahul Chavan. Begumpura PI Prashant Potdar and PSI Vishal Bodkhe are assisting the team. ACP Ashok Thorat is guiding the investigation.

The team has started the investigation and every day new revelations are coming to the fore.

On November 12, a teacher from BAMU counseled both students and asked Gajanan not to trouble the girl anymore. He accepted it but put a condition that the girl should tender an apology to him as she had betrayed him. However, the girl refused claiming she has not betrayed anyone. The dispute increased between them and he took the extreme step of self-immolation on November 21, the police found in the preliminary investigation.

On Wednesday, the team seized the pen drive and Whatsapp chat of the victim girl. Similarly, the statements of the head of the zoology department, two Ph.D. guides, teachers of forensic science and friends of the victims were registered.

According to the statement of a teacher, the girl had complained about the torture on November 12. They had a dispute for the past many days. Hence, he counseled both students and the boy kept to the condition that the girl should apologize, but she refused. The boy had sent some messages in this connection to this teacher. They had dispute

The immediate reason

On November 17, the girl lodged a complaint against the boy at the Begumpura police station. The police then called him for inquiry. The girl also sent a copy of the police complaint to the head of the zoology department through courier. After receiving the copy, the teacher called the boy in the department on the day of the incident and told him that the matter is serious and his Ph.D registration can be canceled. The teacher asked the boy to submit his clarification.

The boy then went to his room in the hostel and wrote a suicide note on the blackboard in the room before the incident.

Tried to commit suicide

Deceased Gajanan on September 15, tried to commit suicide by immolating himself. He poured petrol on himself near the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in BAMU and then gave a matchbox to the victim girl asking her to immolate him. She was scared and left the place. She called Gajanan's father and asked him to warn his son. The police seized the phone recording. Apart from this incident, Gajanan also tried to commit suicide on two occasions, the police found.