Patna College Murder: Student Leader Beaten To Death On University Campus; Police Form SIT, One Arrested

Patna College Murder: Harsh Raj, a 22-year-old student, was beaten to death by masked attackers on the Patna Law College campus on Monday afternoon. Harsh Raj was a final-year student at BN College and a prominent political figure in student politics, serving as the national president of the Loknayak Yuva Parishad organisation. Patna University was closed today amid tension on campus.

Following the crime on Tuesday, the Patna Police formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the murder. As part of their investigation, one suspect has been arrested, identified as Chandan Kumar, a final-year student of Patna College residing in Bihta, Patna. Efforts are currently underway to apprehend other individuals involved in the incident.

SP City, Patna East Bharat Soni said, "A special investigation team has been formed by Patna Police in this case... With the coordination of all our teams, we have arrested one accused so far and other accused have been identified. Our team is also trying to make arrests by going to other districts. Another team of ours is engaged in collecting evidence...The cause of death will be known only after the post-mortem."

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The attack occurred around 1 PM when Harsh, having just finished his exam, was sitting on his motorcycle on campus. The assailants, armed with sticks, bricks, and stones, attacked him. They continued to beat him until he lost consciousness, then fled the scene on bikes. Despite the presence of numerous bystanders, no one intervened to stop the attack.

Patna College Murder: What Police Said

According to a statement by the Patna Police, Chandan Kumar, the arrested suspect residing in Jackson hostel of Patna college, allegedly orchestrated the conspiracy to kill Harsh Raj. During interrogation, Kumar confessed to his involvement and provided information about other accomplices.

"Soon after the incident, the district police formed a SIT and nabbed Chandan Kumar, who allegedly hatched the conspiracy, on Tuesday. During custodial interrogation, Kumar confessed to have committed the crime. He has also revealed the identity of other accused involved in the case," as per the statement issued by the Patna Police.

Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar, Vijay Kumar Sinha, condemned the act, asserting that those responsible will face full legal repercussions.

"Those who murdered the student can never deserve mercy. Full action will be taken on this. I have spoken to the administration. They will completely tighten the noose on the accused," he said.

While the motive behind the attack is still under investigation, authorities suspect it may be linked to past animosities.

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"Prima facie it appears that the incident may have taken place because of some old enmity. However, the exact cause of the incident can only be known after completion of the investigation", said a senior officer of the Patna Police.

In response to the incident, certain student groups staged protest marches in various locations, prompting heightened security measures on the campus. Consequently, Patna University has reportedly postponed all examinations until further notice.

(With agency inputs)