Male workers of the government girl’s hostel near Charni Road in south Mumbai used to ‘masturbate’ on the premises. Om Prakash Kanojia, who allegedly died by suicide after ‘raping and killing’ an 18-year-old student, was ‘allowed to enter the hostel room without permission’.
The above details emerged after a hostel mate of the victim wrote to directorate of technical education, complaining about the ‘negligence’ of the authorities at the government boarding house. She further said that Kanojia was allowed to stay on the premises at night, even when CCTV cameras were not working.
Om Kanojia, a security guard at the hostel who also doubled up as a laundry man, strangled the woman inside her room on the fourth floor of the hostel early Tuesday morning. He subsequently committed suicide by jumping in front of a train on the nearby railway tracks, police said.
“The hostel had been kept in a dilapidated condition and we were told to ‘figure out accomodation on our own as the authorities were not responsible’ for finding an alternative,” the victim’s hostel mate wrote.
The complainant further said that the hostel mess was closed since April 30 and they were told to make arrangement of their own food or visit a nearby canteen for breakfast and lunch. “When the inmates reported incidents of harassment during lunch, no action was taken by the warden,” she added.
“It is deeply distressing to note that the hostel warden and some members of the management staff have exhibited a pattern of verbally abusing and disrespecting the students. Their derogatory remarks, including questioning the modesty of girls based on their clothing choices such as sleeveless tops, are completely unacceptable and contribute to a culture of fear, insecurity, and emotional distress among the residents,” the girl further wrote.
Recalling an incident in August 2018, the hostel mate said, “A totally stranger woman entered the hostel. Female relatives of the girls residing in the hostel were allowed to meet only on Sunday and no other days but then too the security guards didn’t bother to check the lady and allowed her to enter the hostel. She directly went on the 3rd floor and tried to click pictures of the girls.”
The girl added that some inmates noticed and took her to the warden and then it was found that “the lady was a psycho”. “All the girls got scared and asked warden how did she enter the hostel when even our mothers are not allowed. But warden threatened girls saying, ‘don’t make any scene or else I will throw you out of the hostel’. She didn’t take any action agains the security guards who allowed such a woman to enter in the hostel,” the victim’s hostel mate complained.
The woman’s family members, who had initially refused to accept the 18-year-old victim’s body, collected it on Thursday for last rites. The victim’s father and one of her friends had reportedly told the police that the accused security guard, who hailed from Uttar Pradesh, used to harass her.
The 18-year-old was a resident of Akola in Maharashtra’s Vidarbha region and had come to Mumbai in April 2021 to pursue computer engineering in a Bandra college. She had scored 87 per cent in her SSC examinations.
According to a report in India Express, the girl got over with her exams on Monday and was to leave for her hometown on Thursday. “She had made her train reservation and I was waiting to see her on Friday. But the incident took place on the same day when her exams got over,” her brother was quoted as saying.
The 53-year-old father of the girl was quoted as saying that whenever he dropped his daughter at the hostel, Kanojia would always assure him that he would take care of her. “Who knew what was in his mind as I had started trusting him,” he said.
According to report, the brother said that the girl always wanted to ensure that their parents don’t face any financial difficulty at their old age. “She was very ambitious and would always tell me that she wants to study hard and ensure that our parents do not face any financial problems,” he was quoted.
(With inputs from Yesha Kotak in Mumbai)
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