Man who saved Rishabh Pant's life attempts suicide with girlfriend in UP, she dies

CHENNAI: The man who rescued cricketer Rishabh Pant, following his near-fatal accident in 2022, reportedly attempted to die by suicide along with his girlfriend three days ago. According to NDTV, the incident occurred in Buchha Basti, a village in Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar district.

Rajat Kumar, 25, and his girlfriend Manu Kashyap, 21, allegedly consumed poison after their families opposed their relationship.

While Kashyap died during treatment, Kumar is reportedly battling for life at Pragya Hospital in Jhabreda. His condition is improving, a doctor treating him told news agency PTI.

The doctor added that the couple were brought to Pragya Hospital in Jhabreda near Roorkee in Uttarakhand in a critical condition, as the hospital is well-known for its expertise in handling poison consumption cases. Kashyap was more critical and was referred to another facility but her family took her home instead and wanted to make arrangements for her there, the doctor told PTI, adding she died the next day.

According to an NDTV report, the families of the two had arranged their marriages with other people, refusing to accept their relationship due to caste differences. In a video clip shot reportedly before her suicide, Kashyap can be heard saying that she had consumed poison as her family was not allowing them to get married.

However, following the girl's death, her mother alleged that Kumar had kidnapped her daughter and poisoned her, the report added.

Rajat Kumar gained national attention on December 30, 2022, when he along with another local resident rescued Rishabh Pant, who was 25 then, from a near-fatal accident.

The accident happened near Manglaur on the Delhi-Dehradun highway ahead of Roorkee, when Pant dozed off at the wheel of his Mercedes, and crashed it into a divider after which it caught fire. The cricketer broke a window and escaped from the burning wreckage of his car, after which he was rescued by Rajat Kumar, another onlooker Nishu Kumar, Haryana Roadways bus driver Sushil Kumar, and conductor Paramjeet.

Rajat and Nishu later met Pant at the hospital, a photo of which the cricketer shared on social media along with a note of gratitude. Pant also gifted them scooters.

The four men were later honoured by Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.

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