Rajat Kumar, one of the two men who rescued Indian cricketer Rishabh Pant from his gruesome car crash in December 2022, tried to take his own life and that of his girlfriend on Tuesday. While Rajat, 25, is in a critical state, his girlfriend Monu Kashyap, 21, died from poisoning in Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar district.

Sources said that Rajat and Monu had been dating for the last five years. However, their families opposed them because they belonged to different communities.

Related News

“Both would talk to each other for hours on the phone, but their families were displeased with their relationship. The girl was meant to be wed somewhere else,” sources added.

The girl’s family excluded her from seeing Rajat, and his family, too, decided to get her married to another boy. Though Monu and Rajat repeatedly tried to convince their families, but did not succeed. Ultimately, the families put stringent restrictions on them so that they were compelled to discontinue their meetings.

Tragic Suicide Pact

Heartbroken and frustrated, the couple decided to end their lives. On Tuesday, they took poison in Buchcha Basti village, which comes under the Purkaji police station jurisdiction. A resident of the village noticed them rolling on the ground and alerted people. By the time their relatives reached there, the effect of the poison had already set in.

They both were taken to the hospital by ambulance in serious condition. Monu’s family later moved her to another facility, but she died before dawn on Tuesday. Nevertheless, Rajat is still receiving treatment and seems to be getting better.

Police Investigation Underway

Soon after Monu’s cremation, her mother filed a case against Rajat, accusing him of poisoning her daughter. Muzaffarnagar SP Satyanarayan Prajapat confirmed that no police case was registered until Monu’s mother stepped in.

“We have received a written complaint from the woman’s family, accusing Rajat of poisoning her,” said Muzaffarnagar Police Station in-charge Jaiveer Singh. “All aspects will be investigated, and efforts will be made to talk to the man as well,” he added.

Doctors Confirm Pesticide Poisoning

Physicians who treated Rajat confirmed that both had taken a potent pesticide. “We began immediate treatment. Manu’s family moved her elsewhere, but Rajat is improving under our care,” Dr. Dinesh Tripathi of Pragya Hospital said.

On December 30, 2022, Rajat and Nishu Kumar helped cricketer Rishabh Pant escape from his devastating accident and burning vehicle after a crash on the Delhi-Dehradun highway. Pant got serious injuries and later gifted Scooters to Rajat and Nishu as a gesture of thanks.

Once celebrated for his bravery, in Rajat’s village, his love story becomes tragic. In a society in which family reputation trumps love, his relationship shatters social expectations, transforming a personal trial into a social problem.

While Rajat struggles for survival, the police still carry out the investigation, which reveals the societal demands that caused this tragic situation.