‘Won’t Send Younger Son to College Now’: Father of DU Student Stabbed to Death
Nikhil was stabbed, allegedly by another student – after he objected to his girlfriend being harassed, police said.
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“My son was stabbed right outside of Aryabhatta college in south campus. His friends took him to the hospital on his two-wheeler… No auto or cab stopped to help. No one helped,” said an inconsolable Sanjay Chauhan, father of the Delhi University (DU) student who was stabbed to death on Sunday, 19 June.
A first-year student of BA (Hons) Political Science at DU's School of Open Learning (SOL), 19-year-old Nikhil Chauhan was stabbed, allegedly by another student around noon on Sunday – a week after he objected to his girlfriend being harassed, as per the Delhi police.
Two accused – Rahul and Haroon – have been arrested.
Nikhil is survived by his parents and his two brothers. The family lives in west Delhi’s Madipur.
A photograph of Nikhil and his family.
(Accessed by The Quint)
Two days after he was killed, Nikhil’s father, a shopkeeper, spoke to The Quint about his son’s aspirations, the tragic incident, and his hesitation about sending his younger son to college in the future.
'Won’t Send Younger Son to College After What Happened With Nikhil’
“We cremated Nikhil yesterday after the post-mortem was completed. He had a huge hole in his heart… If they would’ve stabbed him anywhere else, my son might have survived,” said Sanjay.
Students who are enrolled in SoL attend a few classes over the weekend at designated DU colleges, and for Nikhil, that college was Aryabhatta college in south Delhi’s Anand Niketan area, popularly known as South Campus as it houses other colleges affiliated to DU.
After the incident came to light, Delhi's Health Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Saurabh Bharadwaj took a jibe at the law and order situation in the national capital even as Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal wrote to Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena highlighting that four murders have rocked the city in the last 24 hours.
Reacting to a video of Nikhil's father crying after his demise, Bharadwaj said, "A father from Delhi crying profusely. LG could not even provide good law and order to our city. The condition has turned from bad to worse."
Sanjay said he was disappointed with the law and order situation in the city. “There are two police chowki in the area – one is a stone’s throw away from the college gate, then how could this have happened?” he asked.
He said that as a parent, one does not expect this to happen to their children when they are going to pursue their education.
“We got a call from the police around noon on Sunday that Nikhil had been wounded and that he had been rushed to a hospital in Moti Bagh. When we arrived there, we were told that Nikhil was brought dead,” recalled Sanjay.
'Accused Had Come Back For Revenge': Police
Sanjay said that Nikhil was in the middle of his semester exams which started on 12 June. On Sunday, he was at Aryabhatta College for extra classes.
Sanjay, however, said that his son had not mentioned about any argument or incident to him.
“This Sunday, Rahul, Yash and two of his other friends came back to take revenge against from Nikhil. While two – Rahul and his associate Haroon – have been arrested, the other two have been identified and will be arrested soon,” said DCP (South Delhi).
'Nikhil Used To Model, Wanted To Go To Mumbai': His Father
“Nikhil sabka laadla tha (Nikhil was everyone’s favourite)," recalled Sanjay.
He remembers his son as a free-spirited boy who loved the outdoors. “He used to come back from college, take his scooty and venture out,” said Sanjay.
A photograph of 19-year-old Nikhil Chauhan.
(Accessed by The Quint)
Like most youngsters, Nikhil too was fond of branded clothes and shoes and used to enjoy making reels on Instagram, said his father.
“He owned 15 pairs of sneakers. We had to get his clothes custom-fit because he was so tall. He was 6 feet, 5 inches tall. He was a handsome boy,” said Sanjay.
He told The Quint that Nikhil used to model and had even featured in two music videos on YouTube.
“He had received calls from a modelling agency based out of Mumbai, and received an offer to be cast as an actor in a TV show. He wanted to go but I had asked him to first take his exams and complete his course,” Sanjay said.
An old photograph of 19-year-old Nikhil Chauhan.
(Accessed by The Quint)
A foodie, Sanjay recalled how his son would request him to bring his favourite dal and paneer dishes home from work. All that remain are memories of Nikhil, and fight for justice.
Sanjay, who runs a patri (temporary shop) in Delhi’s Sadar Bazaar and sells cosmetics, is determined to fight for justice.
“I will get them (the accused) punished,” he said.