A security guard of the University of Pune was shot dead by an unidentified youth in the campus on Thursday night, sending shockwaves among the student community here, police said on Friday.
The incident occurred around 8 pm, when the 56-year-old security guard, Prahlad Jogdandkar, caught a young couple allegedly in a compromising position in an isolated spot on the 410-acre lush green university campus.
He ordered them to pay a penalty of Rs500 as per the new rules implemented by the university to check trespassing and shady activities on the campus.
The youth quietly paid up and left with his girlfriend on his motorcycle, said an officer at the Chaturshringi police station.
However, the youth returned again after half an hour and demanded Rs100 back from the security guard since he had no money to fill up petrol in his motorcycle.
When Jogdandkar refused to refund the money, there was an argument and a scuffle, and another security guard rushed there.
Suddenly, the youth whipped out a revolver and fired two rounds at Jogdandkar, and disappeared from the spot.
Jogdandkar was rushed to the Sassoon Hospital where he was later declared dead on admission, police said.
As part of the overall security overhauling in the city, in January, following a police directive, the university administration had beefed up security on the sprawling campus.
Besides registering all vehicles entering the campus, all visitors were required to enter their details at the two main gates to prevent unauthorised people from entering and misusing the campus.
The University of Pune falls in a high-security zone, which includes the Raj Bhavan Pune and other important buildings.