In a shocking incident, two final year under-graduate students of the Maharaja’s College in the city sustained injuries on Saturday after being hacked inside the campus, allegedly by a former student of the same college.
According to the police, the attack took place around 9.30 a.m. while the students, pursuing their BSc degree, were on their way to the examination hall to appear for their final examination. The victims have been identified as Vivek M. of Nilambur in Malappuram district and Bibin, a native of Idukki district.
Vivek suffered deep injuries on his forehead while the thumb of his left hand was cut off. He was taken to a private hospital in the city, where he underwent a surgery for fixing the finger.
Bibin, who suffered minor injuries in the attack, told the police that the assailant had reached the spot with a sword and hacked Vivek even as other students looked on. “I was attacked after running to the spot to help him”, he said.
Assistant Commissioner Rex Bobby, who is leading the investigation, attributed the incident to personal animosity between the assailant and one of the victims. The attacker, identified as Louis Antony of Puthuvyppu, was a former student of the same college and was expelled six months ago during a clash between students, he said.
In their statements to the police, however, the students claimed that Louis Antony was taking revenge on Vivek for the latter’s role in initiating a campaign against the spread of drugs on the college campus.
“They said that Louis had been running a drug racket operating in the college and was expelled following a joint campaign against the drug mafia. This was the second time that he is carrying out attacks against the anti-drug activists inside the campus”, officials said.
A case has been registered and a search is on to trace the accused. As part of the investigation, a team of forensic experts collected evidence from the scene of crime.
