Professor from Madhya Pradesh attacked with sticks and chili powder after argument with student

Bhopal:

A professor at Government JH PG College in Madhya Pradesh was brutally attacked with sticks and chilli powder on campus. The incident took place on Friday afternoon when a group of five to seven assailants entered the college premises with sticks and chilli powder. Their target: Assistant Professor Neeraj Dhakad of the Sanskrit Department.

The attackers wasted no time in incapacitating Professor Dhakad by throwing chilli powder in his eyes and then hitting him with sticks. CCTV cameras recorded the entire horrific incident. The footage shows the attackers storming into the Sanskrit department and brutally attacking Professor Dhakad, who was engrossed in a discussion with students at the time.

Eyewitnesses described the gruesome scene and how the attackers continued their assault until Professor Dhakad collapsed unconscious. Shockingly, no one intervened to stop the attack, even though other faculty members and students were present nearby. It was only after the attackers fled that colleagues rushed to Professor Dhakad’s aid and took him to the district hospital.

Medical reports confirmed that Professor Dhakad had sustained severe injuries, including fractures to his head, hands and legs. The motive for this attack appears to have been due to an earlier dispute between Professor Dhakad and one of the attackers, identified as Annu Thakur, a former student of the college.

Only a month ago, tensions had arisen between Professor Dhakad and Annu Thakur over alleged irregularities related to the college’s scholarship program. Annu Thakur was reportedly caught trying to misuse Professor Dhakad’s official seal and stationery, leading to a confrontation that until now seemed to have been resolved.

In a statement from his hospital bed, Professor Dhakad said: “I was discussing student projects when suddenly five boys came in, threw chilli powder and started beating me with sticks. I recognised them; they were Annu Thakur’s men. They wanted to kill me.”

Police have registered a case of attempted murder and launched a manhunt for the other attackers seen on surveillance camera footage.