The Hindu : New Delhi News : Man held for attacking teacher

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Dec 17, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

Man held for attacking teacher

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, DEC. 16. A 25-year-old man has been arrested by the North Delhi police for allegedly attacking a teacher in Delhi University's North Campus with a rod today. The accused apparently wanted to take revenge as the victim had reportedly slapped him a couple of months ago.

According to the police, Natasha Sharma, a research assistant and a teacher with the Department of Japanese and Chinese studies in Delhi University, was studying in her cabin in Arts Faculty building when a young man approached her around 11-30 a.m. He asked her the way to the Political Science Department.

Ms. Sharma gave him the directions, but the young man suddenly pulled out a rod -- which he was carrying in the bag -- and hit Ms. Sharma on her head. She raised an alarm following which other staff members caught him and handed him over to the police. Ms. Sharma was taken to hospital where she had to be given seven stitches on her head. She was later discharged.

During interrogation, the accused, identified as Bhaskar Borah, a resident of Nirankari Colony in North-West Delhi, told the police that he had attacked Ms. Sharma to get even with her.

A couple of months ago, Bhaskar, who had done a course in Japanese last year and was employed with All India Radio as a temporary reader-cum-translator, had collided with Ms. Sharma on the stairs of Arts Faculty building.

Ms. Sharma had slapped Bhaskar thinking that he was misbehaving with her. However, Bhaskar, a native of Assam, felt that he was not at fault and decided to take revenge, the police said.

Investigations revealed that Bhaskar had hogged media limelight on August 14 last year when he climbed the broadcasting tower at Akashvani Bhavan here and threatened to immolate himself if the temporary workers at AIR were not given permanent jobs. It was only after a lot of cajoling and an assurance from the then Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting that he climbed down from the tower.

Following today's incident, the Delhi University Teachers' Association today criticised the University authorities for neglecting the security concerns of the teachers on the campus.

Meanwhile, a case under Section 308 (attempt to culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Indian Penal Code has been registered at Maurice Nagar police station and Bhaskar has been sent to judicial custody. Further investigations in the case are on.

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