How a year-old rivalry led to a daylight murder on campus

In late May, a group of boys bent on revenge thrashed 22-year-old Harsh Raj to death on the campus of Patna University’s Law College. The popular student, like many others before him, was eager to enter the world of politics.

Two days before he was beaten to death on the campus of Patna University’s Law College, Harsh Raj, 22, had expressed excitement about casting his vote for the very first time from Vaishali Lok Sabha constituency. Exercising his franchise from his hometown, Majhauli village, Raj was among the first ones to queue up outside the polling booth on the morning of May 25, and had excitedly shown off his inked finger and posed for pictures after.

After coming home from the booth, he had chatted with his grandfather and mother for a while, telling them about his plans to buy a black SUV. “He was close to those two. He and I spoke less,” says his father, Ajit Kumar, who works for a local daily. Raj had returned to Patna that same evening on his beloved black motorcycle, saying his goodbyes ahead of his exam the next day. 

On May 27, the final-year undergraduate student appeared for his exam at the Law College campus on Ashok Rajpath Road, about 1.5 km away from his own college, the Bihar National College. He was one step closer to finishing his three-year Functional English (Honours) course. But while walking back to his motorcycle along with a friend, Bhanu Kumar, he was met by a group of seven or eight students, who thrashed him with iron rods, hockey sticks and bricks near the auditorium of the college. While his friend fled the scene, several others, including some employees of the college and other students, allegedly watched the violence play out, but did not intervene. Eventually, Raj fell unconscious. 

After the gang of attackers ran away, some classmates took Raj to the Patna Medical College and Hospital, situated about a kilometre away. But the doctors there declared him dead. 

“When we came out after the exam, a group of people armed with hockey sticks and rods attacked us. I was also hit by bricks but ran away. Harsh also tried to run, but he collided with a tree and fell. Within that time, the men, who had masked up to hide their identities, had beaten him to death,” recalls Bhanu.

“Had someone had the courage to step in and rescue Harsh instead of just watching, my friend would have been alive today,” adds another classmate, Nikhil Kumar.

Raj was popular among the university’s students for his forthcoming and helpful nature. He often distributed leaflets bearing his contact details among the students for “any help” they might need, said his classmates.