Ayurvedic college student dies in UP's Saharanpur, family alleges murder

Saharanpur: A first-year student from Delhi was found dead under suspicious circumstances at an ayurvedic college here, triggering protests by his family members, police said on Monday. The incident occurred on Sunday at Guru Dronacharya Ayurvedic College, where the deceased, Vishal (28), had taken admission in December 2025.

Upon receiving information about the death, the student's family and relatives reached the college on Monday morning and staged a protest outside the campus, alleging that he was murdered. Vishal's brother Arun, a doctor based in Delhi, accused the college management of killing his brother and claimed that there had been complaints of ragging at the institute, which were brought to the notice of the authorities but allegedly went unaddressed.

According to Arun, the family received a phone call on Sunday evening from a person named Monu, who said that Vishal had met with an accident and suffered minor injuries. However, when the family reached Saharanpur, they were informed that Vishal had already died and his body had been kept in the mortuary. The family further alleged that Vishal's mobile phone was accessed before their arrival and that his messages and call records were tampered with.

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Arun also claimed that some senior students from the 2024 batch bore a grudge against Vishal and were allegedly planning to harm him over a dispute involving a girl. In a complaint lodged with the police, the victim's father, Pate Bahadur, of Budh Vihar in Delhi, alleged that Vishal was riding a motorcycle along with two students from the 2024 batch at the time of the incident. While the incident was described as an accident, Vishal died, whereas the other students sustained only minor injuries, raising suspicion, he said.

The father has accused several individuals — students Mohit, Harsh, Harshit, Asif, Shivam and Monu Pandit and a teacher — of conspiring to murder his son and attempting to destroy evidence. Station House Officer Akshay Sharma said the body was sent for post-mortem, and an investigation is underway. The college management has so far not issued any statement on the incident. As a precautionary measure, a heavy police force has been deployed in and around the college campus, police said.