Bihar news: College student beaten to death at campus by masked men over Dandiya altercation

A 22-year-old student of BN College in Patna was beaten to death by masked men at the campus of Sultanganj Law College, where he went to appear for the examinations. The police have arrested the main accused in the case, and as per an NDTV report, the accused and the victim were engaged in an altercation during the dandiya night last year. 

The victim was identified as Harsh Raj, a third-year student of Vocational English. The police rushed to the spot of the crime and admitted the injured victim to the hospital, but he succumbed to his injuries.  

"A heinous crime took place on the law college campus yesterday. Some anti-social elements beat up a student, Harsh Raj, so badly that he died later. We formed a Special Investigation Team. We have now arrested the main accused, who planned the attack. His name is Chandan Yadav, a final-year student at Patna College. He has admitted to the crime, and we are working to catch the other accused," City SP (East) Bharat Soni was quoted by NDTV as saying.

"There was a fight between two groups, and the tension persisted. This led to the planning of this attack. This is a clear case under Section 302 (murder)," the senior police officer added. 

The video of the incident is also doing rounds across social media platforms, where the attackers can be seen beating Harsh Raj mercilessly while he is trying to protect himself. 

Political furore

Amid the Lok Sabha elections 2024, the incident raised political heat in Bihar, with Opposition leaders targeting the Nitish Kumar-led government. "This is very unfortunate. The law and order situation has worsened by the day ever since the NDA government was formed. They have no control over the administration. The guilty must be arrested as soon as possible and face strict punishment," RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav said.