It was the cruel destiny that ended the lives of three highly talented students of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). A bright future beckoned them but for that grave folly of bingeing and then driving on a bender. Ravi Shankar Choudhary, Ravi Gupta and Santosh lost their lives in a freak accident in JNU. Shankar was also the topper of the class and had represented the college at international debate festivals in Vietnam, Kuala lumpur and Thailand.
Students at the campus said that while Shankar and Santosh had an outgoing nature, Ravi was the introverted one. All three of them secured distinctive marks and were among the best lot of the Korean language department. Shankar was also sent to South Korea on a scholarship programme twice by the college whereas Santosh had gone once. The best part about the trio was that they did not ignore anyone and were ready to help. They usually hung around together at the college campus. Whether it was their juniors or people from the BA section, they always treated everyone their equal. “Santosh’s brother was on a recent trip to Delhi for an entrance exam. We could talk to them about anything — whether professional or personal. They always motivated us to do better and guided us on the right track. No matter what the situation was, they never ignored anyone. They were affable and courteous towards all. One shudders to think that they had to meet such a painful end,” said Aayush, a first-year language student.
Meanwhile, the incident has raised several questions with regard to mounting surveillance in the university campus. When asked about it, the Vice-Chancellor of JNU, SK Sopory said that there is a constant watch on what the students are doing. He added, “We have security guards posted everywhere. There is strict alertness on any activity that happens. In fact the security guards on duty warned these students about their rash driving and also intimated other guards posted to not let them in or out of any gate. The guards were vigilant and prepared to stop these students when they approached the gate. However, they took a sharp turn to avoid being seen by the guards and that is when they met with the accident.”