Delhi University BA Student Kidnapped, Killed in Baghpat

New Delhi, 9th July 2024: A second-year BA student from Delhi University’s School of Open Learning was reportedly abducted from near his home in northeast Delhi, taken to Baghpat in Uttar Pradesh, and fatally assaulted on Saturday. The family accused of killing Himanshu Sharma, 20, alleged that he had raped their 19-year-old daughter and was blackmailing her. However, Himanshu’s mother vehemently denied these allegations.

Rajni Sharma, the mother of the deceased, stated, “These accusations are false. There was no involvement with any woman.” Himanshu’s uncle, Anil Kumar Sharma, added, “Himanshu received a call from the girl’s phone on Saturday. When he left home, he was abducted by four to five members of her family and taken to Baghpat, where they killed him.”

Authorities have filed an FIR against seven individuals in connection with the incident. Baghpat Kotwali circle officer Harish Bhadauria confirmed the arrest of two people related to the case, while NP Singh, ASP of Baghpat, mentioned, “According to the girl’s mother’s complaint, Himanshu allegedly blackmailed her daughter after raping her.”

The girl confided in her brother, who resides in a village in Baghpat. He, along with several relatives, travelled to Delhi, lured Himanshu under the pretext of a message from the girl’s phone, abducted him, and transported him to Baghpat. Their intention was reportedly to teach him a lesson, but the situation escalated into a fatal beating,” ASP Baghpat stated.

The FIR lists seven members of the girl’s family, including her mother, who have been charged under sections 140 (kidnapping or abduction leading to murder or ransom) and 103 (1) (murder) of the Indian Penal Code.

Rajni Sharma had been raising her two children, Himanshu and his younger sister, single-handedly for the past 12 years after her husband abandoned the family. She runs a small grocery shop and does tailoring work to make ends meet in northeast Delhi’s New Usmanpur.

Recounting the events leading to her son’s disappearance, Rajni said, “Around 5 pm on Saturday, after Himanshu left home saying he was invited to a birthday party, I began to feel uneasy. When I tried calling Himanshu, his phone was switched off. By 10 pm, I became concerned and informed my relatives about his disappearance. At around 10.30 pm, a neighbour informed me that Himanshu had been kidnapped.”

According to Rajni, the neighbour then showed her a video call where Himanshu was seen in their custody, with threats to harm him. “We were familiar with this woman as she often visited our home,” Rajni explained. “She told me that if I wanted to see my son alive, I should accompany her.”

They went to a forested area in Baghpat where Rajni claimed to have seen Himanshu in a car with bloodstains. She was preparing to take him to the hospital when police arrived and apprehended two of the accused.

Addressing allegations that Himanshu was involved with the girl as claimed by the accused family, the Sharma family asserted they did not know about such a relationship. A grieving Rajni asked, “Our dreams have been shattered completely. If they had issues, why didn’t they discuss them with me? Did they have to resort to killing him?”