College student in Andhra Pradesh killed for rejecting marriage proposal
Police said the accused and the victim were in a relationship for a year, but of late she had been avoiding him.
A 19-year-old student was strangled to death allegedly by a stalker in Narsaraopet town of Andhra Pradesh’s Guntur district on Wednesday afternoon, the police said.
The victim, belonging to Gollapadu village of Muppalla block, was pursuing her second-year degree course in a private college in Narsaraopet town. The incident occurred at Ravipadu village on the outskirts of the town.
The accused, Vishnu Vardhan Reddy (21), who is senior to her in the college, surrendered to the police after committing the murder, the Narsaraopet (rural) police said.
According to the police, both the victim and Reddy were in a relationship for a year, but of late she had been avoiding him. He suspected that she was interested in another man and nursed a grudge against her.
On Wednesday afternoon, Reddy requested her to come with him for a personal talk and she obliged his request. He took her on his bike to the outskirts of the town, where he tried to convince her to marry him. She rejected his request which led to an argument.
“In a fit of rage, he strangled her to death and threw her body into an adjacent Govindapuram irrigation canal, before surrendering in the police station,” said a police official who did not wish to be named.
Later, the police rushed to the spot and retrieved the woman’s body from the canal and shifted it to the government hospital for autopsy.
On coming to know about the incident, hundreds of students along with locals gathered in large numbers in front of the government hospital and staged a dharna, demanding stringent action against the accused. Later, they also blocked the main road near the bus stand for over two hours.
Tension continues to prevail in the town and additional police forces have been rushed there. The local police authorities had a tough time in controlling the agitated students.
Expressing anguish over the murder of the degree college student, Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy announced ex-gratia of ₹10 lakh to family of the deceased and assured that stern action would be taken against those responsible.
He directed the officials to expedite the investigation and take action against the accused under Disha Act.
Telugu Desam Party general secretary Nara Lokesh also condemned the ghastly murder.
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