But events took a dramatic turn midway through it, and by the time all was said and done, the student was dead, the professor was in hospital, and bloodstains were spattered over the grounds of the university's School of Electrical & Electronic Engineering (EEE).

Yesterday, the first day of class after a week-long university term break, began ordinarily enough, with Associate Professor Chan Kap Luk, 45, meeting final-year engineering student David Hartanto Widjaja in the don's campus office.

On the table for discussion: The undergraduate's Final-Year Project (FYP), the first draft of which was due for submission next Tuesday.

But less than an hour into the meeting, Widjaja, 21, an Indonesian student from Jakarta, suddenly whipped out a knife.

Prof Chan, who had his back to the student and was facing his computer, had no idea what was coming.

Widjaja then began plunging the knife into the professor's back, the don's colleagues said.

They added that Prof Chan tried to grab the knife from Widjaja, but ended up with more cuts to his right hand.

The undergraduate then slit his own wrists with the knife and ran out of the office, bolting down one flight of stairs in a stairwell, surprising several faculty staff who were along the corridor.

Shortly after this, office staff working on the same level of the EEE building as Prof Chan were confronted with a shocking sight - the bloodied lecturer staggered out of his office, then collapsed on the floor. They immediately called the police and a campus doctor.

Read the full story and more reports in Tuesday's edition of The Straits Times.

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