Thaindian News

Ranchi, April 28 (IANS) Fear gripped the staff and students of the prestigious St Xavier College here Thursday, a day after a girl student, due to be married next month, was gruesomely murdered by a spurned lover.

As Khushboo, 17, came out of the classroom after giving her exam Wednesday, Bijendra Kumar attacked her with a sharp-edged weapon and beheaded her. After the incident, Bijendra was caught by the students of the college and soundly thrashed. Police arrived at the spot and arrested Bijendra.

“I have never seen such incident in life. I got nervous and fainted after watching the dead body of the girl,” said college principal, Father Nicolas Tete.

He said he has sought additional security cover for the college.

Hundreds of students Thursday took out a march to protest the incident and demanded security in the colleges.

Meanwhile, Bijendra, 21, an engineering student in Jamshedpur, was giving different statements, police said. In one statement, he said they both wanted to die together. “I was to commit suicide when people caught me after killing Khushboo,” he said. In another statement later, he said that he killed her as she was to marry someone else.

According to police, Bijendra arrived in Ranchi Wednesday and met Khushboo, who was accompanied by her maternal grandmother, at the college when she was going in for the exam. He tried to convince both Khusboo and her maternal grandmother but left when they told him to leave them alone.

He then returned after the exam, accosted Khushboo as she was coming down the stairs, caught her hair with one hand and hit her on the neck with the sharp-edged weapon, killing her on the spot.

Khushboo, due to get married May 27, had come in contact with Bijendra in Jamshedpur where she was living with her grandmother while pursuing her intermediate. Unhappy with his advances, she had come back to Ranchi. Bijendra had come to Ranchi earlier too in her pursuit, and was thrashed twice by her family members for harassing her.