Brutal Killing Of 19-Year-Old College Student Sends Shockwaves Across Himachal Pradesh

Tears flowed flawlessly, and cries and screams echoed in grief and anguish as hundreds turned up at the small mountain village—Nain in Sarkaghat at Mandi for Siya’s funeral on Tuesday, 145 km from Shimla, the capital of Himachal Pradesh.

19-year-old Siya was brutally murdered in the early hours of Monday, allegedly by a suspected drug addict, Vikas alias Rishu Patial who also hailed from the same village. The victim, who was a first-year BBA student, was on her way to the college at Sarkaghat when the 35-year-old assailant attacked her with a sharp-edged weapon and slit her throat.

Local MLA Daleep Thakur, who was one of the first to reach the spot, said the victim was lying in a pool of blood with her neck beheaded, resulting in her death on the spot.

“I have not seen such a case of crime in my life, and it happening in Himachal Pradesh is beyond anyone’s imagination,” he says.

As Siya was laid to rest, a wave of grief swept through the village and the area. Family members, residents, and her college friends gathered for one last glimpse, many breaking down in tears.

As the family performed the last rites of Siya, the mood among villagers was heartbreaking and even filled with anguish. Women, men, and Siya’s college companions gathered to get her last glimpse, breaking down, seeking exemplary punishment for the assailant, who snatched away a budding teenager.

Sarkaghat, usually known for its tranquillity and close-knit community, is now gripped by shock. There is deep anger, and also an issue of the safety of college-going girls as they walk narrow pathways, even through forests, to get higher education. Said Daleep Thakur, "It is confirmed that the accused is a drug addict and shows how drugs have started becoming a threat to the safety of people, women, and children in the hills."

The motive of the crime is still unclear, even as the Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu said, “ I have told the DGP Ashok Tiwari to get the matter thoroughly investigated, even to look into the drug angle”

He said the police acted promptly and arrested the accused, who had been initially apprehended by villagers and later handed over to them. The accused is now behind bars, and the government will ensure he is punished in accordance with the law for the heinous crime.

The chief minister has also sanctioned a relief of Rs 5 lakh for the family and granted another Rs 5 lakh for the construction of their house, besides free education for Siya’s two sisters.

Daleep Thakur claimed that one of the factors he could pinpoint was the cancellation of the bus route to the village. Had there been a bus service for Sarkaghat, Siya could not have been safe and alive.

 “She had walked only 500 to 1000 meters from her home, and the accused pounced upon her with a blunt weapon and cut down her throat," he says, recalling that earlier, most students used to take the bus route to the college and return by the same bus.

Himachal Pradesh Governor Kavinder Gupta has conveyed his dismay to the police administration over the killing of the college-going girl and termed the incident as unacceptable in civil society, especially the manner in which she was targeted in broad daylight.

“I have asked DGP to bring the culprit to the book and set an example by sending him to jail," he said.

Leader of Opposition and former Chief Minister Jairam Thakur launched a scathing attack on the government, saying that the incident is a clear example of deteriorating law and order and administrative failure in Himachal Pradesh.

He said that this incident has shocked the entire state and has created an atmosphere of fear among the common people.

Thakur said this was not an ordinary incident but a sign that law and order in the state had completely broken down. The family’s pain was beyond words. The victim’s father, a driver working in Baddi, had spoken to his daughter just hours before the incident as she left for college, only to later receive the devastating news.