Law Student Brutalised Over Medicine Price Dispute in Kanpur

In the busy neighbourhood of Rawatpur in Kanpur, a 22 year old first year law student, Abhijeet Singh Chandel, visited a local pharmacy and got into a dispute over the price of medicine. According to his family, the argument with the shop owner, Amar Singh Chauhan, and three accomplices escalated suddenly, resulting in a savage attack. 

The assault left Abhijeet critically injured: his abdomen was slit open, two of his fingers were chopped off, and he suffered head injuries. Local people intervened after the attack and gave him first aid, but notably, his intestines were reportedly tied back with a cloth by kin on the way to hospital because of the severity of the wound. 

Four hospitals turned him away initially, citing his condition, until he was finally admitted to Regency Hospital where a two hour surgery was performed and 14 stitches applied to his head.

What compounds the horror is the victim’s mother’s claim that the police, instead of sensitively handling the case, initially registered an extortion case against her son, allegedly based on a complaint by the accused, delaying justice. Three suspects Amar Singh Chauhan, his brother Vijay Singh, and Nikhil Tiwari have been arrested; the fourth accused, Prince Srivastava, remains at large. 

This incident raises several serious questions: the state of safety for students and citizens in everyday interactions, the responsibilities of law enforcement when powerful individuals may be involved, and the condition of emergency healthcare and referral systems in urgent trauma cases. For a young student simply visiting a pharmacy, to be left in such a state, shows how far the social fabric and institutional response may fall short.

Families of victims carry not just physical wounds but also emotional and financial shocks. The lack of immediate admission across multiple hospitals hints at capacity, triage or prioritisation issues. Meanwhile, the registration of a false case against the victim points to possible misuse of the justice system, especially when allegations are made that the accused were “well-connected”. The incident demands not just police action, but a broader reckoning: improved trauma care standards, stronger accountability for medical referrals, and vigilant policing to protect the vulnerable.