Shirisha’s dad: Why did he shoot my daughter?

Bengaluru: Shirisha, the girl who was shot through her mouth, by hostel attendant Mahesh, now lies in the ICU of the Manipal Hospital on Old Madras Road in a critical condition.

Who is this Mahesh? How did he get a gun? Why did he shoot my daughter?” Srinath BR, father of Shirisha, asks in desperation and despondency. Srinath, who rushed down with his family at 1am Wednesday, is unable to fathom the turn of events that has left his daughter in agonizing pain and disfigurement.

Shirisha, a PU II student of Pragathi PU College (PPC), was in her hostel room when Mahesh had opened fire. The bullet went through her mouth, shattering her upper jaw. Shirisha’s roommate had opened the hostel room door when Mahesh knocked but escaped when the gun misfired.

What’s consoling them is that Shirisha is stable.”My daughter has suffered multiple injuries in her face. Police must find out why the attendant tried to kill my daughter.She is a kid. Like any girl, she will be shattered to see her mauled face. I hope plastic surgery will restore her face and everything is fine,” he added.

Srinath said he received a call from PPC chairman Som Singh at 10.35pm on Tuesday, informing him that Shirisha and her friend had slipped and fallen off the hostel building and were injured.It was only on arriving at the college did he learn that his daughter had been shot at by the college attendant, Mahesh.

Srinath and his gynaecologist wife R Jayanthi had enrolled Shirisha at PPC last year as they had heard the college trained students for the CET. Shirisha had finished her first year PU exams a few days ago and stayed back in the hostel for academic activities. The couple’s elder daughter is an engineering student.

Shirisha’s uncle Dr C Ramesh recounted what the hostel and college staffers and other students told them: Mahesh first barged into Gauthami’s room and shot her in the head even as she was asleep. He then knocked on Shirisha’s door. Her friend opened it and Mahesh thrust the gun at her. He then turned towards Shirisha and pulled the trigger.

Manipal Hospital medical director H Sudarshan Ballal said Shirisha’s condition is stable. As she has multiple injuries on her face and her jaw is injured, she cannot speak. The girl underwent plastic surgery later in the day .