A BTech student died after being viciously stabbed by a distant male relative on the campus of a private university in Rajanukunte, North Bengaluru, on Monday, police said. The suspect turned the knife on himself and is battling for his life.
Laya Smitha, 19, a first-year Electronics and Communications student at Presidency University, was fatally stabbed by 22-year-old Pavan Kalyan at 12:58 pm, police said.
She was from Mulbagil and he is from Kolar. The couple reportedly dated for two years but differences cropped up some months ago.
Pavan, a BCA student at Nrupathunga University, rode on a two-wheeler to Itgalpura where Presidency University is located and parked outside the campus at around 12.50 pm.
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He then strode into the second-floor corridor of the university’s N Block, where Smitha’s classroom is situated. Security staff on the campus didn’t stop him.
Pavan and Smitha’s paths crossed in the corridor, and they had a hissy argument. At 12:58 pm, Pavan pulled a knife and stabbed Smitha at least six times. In particular, he repeatedly pierced the knife deep into her neck.
He then cut his right wrist and stabbed himself in the chest where he had tattooed Smitha’s name.
Some students saw both Pavan and Smitha collapsing. Security staff also rushed there. They lifted Smitha and took her to a private hospital in Rajanukunte where doctors pronounced her brought dead. The body was later sent for post-mortem, which is scheduled for Tuesday.
Pavan has been admitted to the ICU of Bowring Hospital. Doctors found four stab wounds on his chest but none is deep. He remains critical, however.
With Pavan not in a position to talk, the police do not know the motive for the murder or what happened between him and Smitha.
Smitha didn’t have a close friend in college because her classes began only a month ago.
Smitha’s mother Rajeshwari accused the university authorities of negligence. Police have booked Pavan for murder and will book the university authorities for negligence, said Mallikarjun Baldandi, Superintendent of Police, Bengaluru district.
Rajeshwari told reporters that police informed her about the killing around 3 pm and that the university didn’t contact her.
Dr D Subhakar, the vice-chancellor of the university, declined to comment on the incident but said they were cooperating in the investigation. He added that the police had suggested measures to improve security inside the campus and they were working on them.
The stabbing panicked the students. The university declared a holiday and sent all students out.
Smitha’s last days
Smitha’s classes began on December 5 and she stayed close to the college.
She visited her home on December 31 and celebrated the New Year with her family. She spent the Sunday evening with a cousin in K R Puram.
On Monday morning, the cousin said, Smitha asked his wife to cook her noodles for breakfast and pack it. He dropped her off at the bus stand, and she took a bus and reached college around 9.30 am. The cousin said Smitha wasn’t in a relationship with Pavan.
What students said
First-year students got their ID cards recently. It was impossible for security guards to check such a large number of students, a student said.
A student who was near the canteen at the time of the killing said he received short videos and messages in a college WhatsApp group. When he rushed to the entrance of N Block, he found the guards carrying Smitha into an ambulance.
Security on campus
The university has nearly 15,000 students. It has deployed guards at the main entrance and discipline staff in all blocks and corridors. The campus also has extensive CCTV coverage.
