He achieved the highest scores in the entrance test at the School of Physics
An academically brilliant student was rejected by a prestigious university in China after his history of cat abuse was exposed. According to the South China Morning Post, the man known only as Mr Xu in Chinese media reports, achieved the highest scores in the entrance test to become a nuclear physics major at the School of Physics at Nanjing University in the eastern province of Jiangsu.
He topped with 507 points but did not pass the second examination, which also tested candidates' moral and political qualifications. While the School of Physics didn't explain, an official said that the school received multiple complaints about Mr Xu's acts of cat abuse.
''The school paid high attention to the cat abusing incidents. His behaviour might have affected the admission result,'' the official said.
According to the university's admissions guidelines, applicants' ''moral and political qualifications'' are taken into consideration and it may not grant admission to those who fail to fulfil that criteria.
As per SCMP, several videos of Mr Xu abusing and killing cats in his dormitory had surfaced on social media when he was a fourth-grade student at Southeast University in Nanjing. In one such disturbing clip, the student was seen putting a cat into a bucket and repeatedly trampling on its head.
After the videos were circulated online, the police in Nanjing launched an investigation and Mr Xu apologised for his actions.
''We spoke to the parents and Xu wrote a letter of repentance, promising that such an incident would not happen again,'' the police said.
Many on social media appreciated the university for not accepting him. One user said, ''Every life is equal. If a person abusing cats can be forgiven, a person killing people could also be forgiven.''
Another commented, ''He must pay a heavy price for his actions. He is a dangerous person.''
However, a few also came in his support with one person saying, ''It's not easy to cultivate a science researcher. A cat is not as important as talent.''