IIMP female student undergoes surgery after brutal robbery

Absence of street lights on the Western Express bypass road opposite the Indira Institute of Management, Pune (IIMP) in Wakad resulted in Sneha Anil Taunk, 21, a second year student of IIMP being brutally attacked on Tuesday evening.

Sneha, who was walking alone along the bypass road to reach a photocopy shop, was attacked by an unidentified man aged around 25, who hit her on the face with an iron rod and fled with her debit card, cash, cellphone and gold ornaments valued at Rs19,800. Sneha has suffered deep cuts on her eyes and face resulting in 12 stitches, facial fractures and requires intensive cosmetic surgery at the Aditya Birla Hospital.

Sneha, originally from Raipur, is a resident of Sai Hostel near the IIMP. Hinjewadi police told DNA that a badly injured Sneha had filed a first information report (FIR) with the Hinjewadi police station soon after the incident on Tuesday.

The lack of street lights on the Sai Hostel road has resulted in several attacks in the recent past. According to senior inspector Ganpat Madgudkar of the Hinjewadi police station, just a year ago, a girl student from the Shri Balaji Group of Institutes was attacked on the same road. One of Sneha’s college mates told DNA, on condition of anonymity, that one of their classmate’s bag had been snatched forcibly by a thief just a month ago at the same spot.

“The lack of street lights and lack of facilities for eating and photocopying near the campus has made us girls prone to such attacks,” she said.

Sneha is the only child of her parents. Her parents have reached Pune and are in a state of shock. According to Sneha’s friend, who spoke to DNA at the Aditya Birla Hospital on Thursday, Sneha had finished her meal at the hostel and had decided to fetch some urgent photocopies from a shop situated about a km away along the highway when the incident occurred.

“Sneha was taken by some boys from a nearby hostel to the Saijyothi Hospital where she received 12 stitches on her face and was later shifted to the Aditya Birla Hospital,” the friend said.

Madgudkar told DNA that the police had written to both the Indira group of institutes and the Balaji institutes to install street lights on the stretch used by their students and increase the security vigil. “The Indira Institute had installed street lights and a focus light for a while, but these are not working. The college must also provide photocopying facilities in-house so that their girl students are not subject to such attacks in the future,” he said.

Sandeep Gaikwad, director, administration and hostels, Indira group of institutes, said the police had not shared any communication with them. “I am here since five years ago and have never seen any letter from the police. The road is private and belonging to hostel owners, so the police should be telling them and not us,” he said.

Group director, Indira Group of Institutes, Chetan Wakalkar, when contacted said, “We have always advised our girl students to travel in groups of three and four after dark. Unfortunately, this girl was alone when she was attacked. The girl’s hostel is nearly one km away from the campus and the path leading to it is a private road. We cannot be held responsible for providing security or street lights outside our campus.”

Plastic surgeon, Aditya Birla Memorial hospital, Dr Shaunak Sule told DNA that Sneha was stable but would require cosmetic surgery. “The surgery is on Saturday. The girl has fractures in the facial skeleton and the floor of right eye and walls are also fractured,” Sule said.

Hinjewadi police said that they had zeroed in on a suspect and were questioning him. “The suspect could be from a labour colony or a slum nearby,” the police said.

When contacted, executive engineer, Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal corporation (PCMC)  Ramdas Jadhav told DNA that the area opposite the Indira institute in Wakad had  recently come under the jurisdiction of the PCMC.

“We recently called for tenders for street lights in that area. We have provided 80 street lights in that area. For the road near Indira College, the college can voluntarily install focus lights so that the students can benefit from the same,” Jadhav said.