Muzaffarnagar:

Rajat Kumar, one of the two men who saved Indian cricketer Rishabh Pant after the latter's car crash in December 2022, attempted to die by suicide along with his girlfriend on Tuesday.

While 25-year-old Rajat is critical, his girlfriend (name withheld) died after both took the extreme step at Buchcha Basti village in Purkaji police station area of Uttar Pradesh's ​​​​Muzaffarnagar district.

Sources said that the two were in a relationship for the last five years, however, were facing resistance from their families as both belonged to different communities.

The girl's family had barred her from meeting Rajat, whose family too was opposed to their relationship and was planning to marry him to a different woman.

"Both used to talk on the phone for hours but since they belonged to different communities, their families were unhappy with this relationship. The girl was set to be married somewhere else," sources said.

"Both tried to convince the family members but did not succeed, rather the families became strict. After which both stopped meeting each other," sources said.

The two decided to end their lives and took the extreme step on Tuesday, they said. "The two were rushed to the hospital in critical condition, where the girl died. The girl's mother has accused Rajat of killing her daughter," sources said.

Muzaffarnagar Police Station in-charge Jaiveer Singh said that the matter is being investigated. "All aspects will be investigated and efforts will be made to talk to the man as well," he said.

On December 30, 2022, Rajat and Nishu Kumar had helped Rishabh Pant escape the burning vehicle after it crashed on the Delhi-Dehradun highway near Roorkee in Uttarakhand. The Indian cricketer was left with grievous injuries but miraculously survived the accident. As a token of thanks, Pant had gifted a scooty each to Rajat and Kumar.

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