Classmate Stabs Woman Student Inside Kovai College Campus

COIMBATORE: In a ghastly incident that has sent shockwaves across the city, a 17-year-old, first-year student was brutally attacked with a knife by a fellow student inside a private engineering college on Sathy Road on Thursday morning.

According to the police, the accused, identified as Harshavardhan (18), is a classmate of the victim and had been acquainted with her. Eyewitness accounts and preliminary investigations suggest that the attack took place within the college campus following an argument between the two.

Harshavardhan allegedly stabbed the girl with a knife, causing injuries on her neck and cheek. She was immediately rushed to a hospital, where she is currently undergoing treatment.

The Saravanampatti police have registered a case and launched an investigation. Initial findings indicate that the accused had been repeatedly threatening the student and objecting to her speaking with other classmates.

Police sources said the accused was allegedly involved in a one-sided romantic obsession and had been harassing and stalking the victim over a period of time. On Thursday, the argument escalated into violence.

Questions are also being raised about campus security, student counselling mechanisms and the failure to intervene despite signs of harassment and intimidation.

The attack comes just months after a private college student was gang-raped near the Coimbatore airport, deepening concerns over women’s safety in the city. Parents and students have expressed alarm over the recurring incidents of gender-based violence involving educational institutions, which are meant to be safe spaces for learning.

Police officials said enquiries are under way with the injured student, and the accused.