A 20-year-old boy stabbed a girl with a knife and then stabbed himself, injuring both in Delhi Cantonment area. According to police, the minor girl was inflicted multiple wounds on Sunday night by a man, identified as Amit (20), who later injured himself too with the same knife. The matter was reported to police by a passerby. The incident took place on the main road near Kirby Palace in Delhi Cantonment during Sunday night.

The girl’s mother Saroj ( 45) who works as a house help and is a single mother said they were so happy that she would turn 18 tomorrow (on Tuesday), but little did we know that my child would be struggling to breathe.

A video, purportedly of the incident, is circulating on social media. The 45-second clip shows the man and the woman sitting on the road divider in a bloodied state and a crowd of passersby gathered around them.

“The girl sustained serious injuries to her neck and the left side of the abdomen. The weapon used in the crime has been recovered from the scene by the police. Both the accused and the victim have been admitted to DDU Hospital and are currently undergoing medical treatment, officials confirmed,” said the police, who earlier reported that the girl was 19-year-old. Besides her mother, the girl has two siblings, including an elder married sister and a younger brother, about 15-year-old.

The family came to Delhi after the victim’s father, who resides in a village in Uttar Pradesh, married another woman. The girl used to work with her brother at a shop in Sadar Bazar Cantonment on a part-time basis, near where the accused also used to work.

On inquiry, it was revealed that the accused and the victim girl had been friends since last year and had a fallout over some issue. In the purported video, Amit can be seen pursuing the girl and trying to hold her hand while she can be seen resisting before the situation escalates to a murder attempt.

Promila, an employer of the victim’s mother, said that she remembers her as a sweet and hardworking girl.

“If a girl talks to a boy, does that give anyone a right to do this? We will fight with all our might and get her justice,” she said, questioning the law and order situation in the city.

“Her mother works hard all day to make ends meet. She hasn’t eaten or slept since the incident. The police should do something to ensure that young girls and women are safe,” she added.

The girl had been taking coaching classes and had filled out some application forms to secure a job and help her mother to have a better life.

“...Who knew that instead of a better life, a madman would stab her so brutally,” Saroj lamented, who wanted to buy a chocolate cake for her birthday.

According to police, a case under Section 109(1) (attempt to murder) of the BNS has been registered against the accused, and an investigation is underway. A police team has initiated a detailed investigation, collecting evidence, recording eyewitness statements, and reviewing CCTV footage from the area.

The incident has once again raised concerns about growing cases of violence in Delhi.