Pune: “She turned down a Rs 32 lakh per annum job offer for her dream of becoming a DRDO scientist. But now, nothing is left with us,” said a grieving Balwant Ram Khadda, a day after his daughter lost her life in an accident.Kanchan, a second-year MTech student at the Defence Institute of Advanced Technology (DIAT), died after falling from a PMPML bus on Sinhagad Road in the Anandnagar area on Monday morning. For Khadda, a farmer from Rajasthan, the tragedy not only took away his daughter. It also shattered the dream Kanchan had pursued despite having the option of a lucrative corporate career.“Kanchan had got this job offer during the IIT-BHU campus selection. But she told me that she wanted to pursue a career in defence research and contribute to the Indian armed forces. We supported her decision and allowed her to study further. But this is what was written in our fate,” Khadda told TOI on Tuesday.The Khadda family received Kanchan’s body from police at Sassoon General Hospital in the morning.Kanchan, from Dabji Khurd village in Tibbi tehsil of Rajasthan’s Hanumangarh district, opted for higher studies at DIAT, a deemed university under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), to pursue a career in defence research. She was the first student from her village to complete BTech from IIT-BHU.Consistent excellence marked Kanchan’s academic journey. She had scored over 90% in Standard X and XII before completing her engineering degree with distinction. She was a second-year MTech student of electronics engineering at DIAT. She was on a project at a DRDO laboratory (Research and Development Establishment, Engineers, Dighi) in Pune for the past few months.“She was extremely focused and determined. Her dream was to join DRDO and work on defence research projects. It is difficult to believe that she is no longer with us,” a fellow student said.A senior professor from DIAT described Kanchan as one of the meritorious students of the department. “It is a big loss for us,” he said.Kanchan is survived by her parents and a younger brother, a standard X student. Her death revealed the commuting difficulties of DIAT students, who undertake internships and research projects at DRDO laboratories and private companies across Pune.As part of their academic programme, second-year DIAT students undertake internships and projects. Those travelling to laboratories in Dighi, Pashan and Sutarwadi mostly depend on PMPML buses.The DIAT campus is located at the backwaters of Khadakwasla dam. A senior official of the institute said, “Most of the buses are crowded and our students struggle during their daily travel to the city. We have decided to write to PMPML authorities to increase the frequency of buses.”Some DIAT faculty members said the institute should consider providing dedicated transportation to students travelling to research laboratories outside the campus. “Our campus is almost 25-30km away from the DRDO laboratories in Sutarwadi, Pashan and Dighi. It is extremely difficult for students to travel there regularly. The institute should either provide transportation or explore accommodation for students at DRDO hostels or quarters, if available,” a professor said.“The campus is far from the city. The institute can easily provide vehicles for students travelling for their projects. This is the first such unfortunate incident, but ensuring the safety of students should be our priority,” another professor said.DIAT authorities told TOI that the institute’s internal committees would discuss the matter and take an appropriate decision in the coming days.
