Students who participated in the funeral procession of Aswini on Saturday claimed that police personnel who used to patrol the stretch near the college were absent on Friday.
“The police patrol the stretch every day. But they were absent on Friday,” said K.V. Bharani Dharan.
“The boys were allowed to go out of the college only after the girls left the premises. We rushed to the spot around 2.45 p.m. hearing the girl students scream. We found Aswini lying on the road. Three persons secured Alagesan, who was beaten up,” said S. Suresh, another student.
After the ambulance failed to arrive, two college seniors of Aswini reportedly took her in a motorcycle to hospital.
“She was left in the parking lot of the hospital near MGR Nagar market. She died. Then the police took her to the Government Kilpauk Medical College Hospital,” said a student.
‘Alagesan was drunk’
“Initially, Alagesan said he mistook Aswini for some other person. He seemed to be drunk. After a while, he admitted that he planned to kill Aswini. After students received the news of her death, they started beating him up. Police intervened and saved his life. They even used mild force to disperse the students who had gathered near Alagesan,” said another student.
Residents were busy recording the incident on their mobile phones, said another student.
Students pointed to a lack of coordination among various agencies to save Aswini's life. They stressed the need for improved police patrol near colleges to prevent such crimes.
