Principal murder accused in two-day police remand

Shiv Kumar Sharma

Tribune News Service

Yamunanagar, January 21

The Class XII student of Swami Vivekanand Public School who shot the principal dead was produced before duty magistrate Pratibha Mehla in a Jagadhri court today, who remanded him in two-day police custody.

Om Prakash, SHO of the City Police Station, Yamunanagar, said before producing him in court, the medical examination was conducted at the civil hospital.

“Blood samples have been sent for examination to Madhuban to ascertain whether the accused was taking drugs,” he said.

Accused’s father Ranjit Singh, a resident of Hamida Colony here, was produced before the duty magistrate, who sent him to 14-day judicial custody. Ranjit Singh, a financier, had an agriculture farm in Gumthala village.

The accused was booked under various sections of the IPC and Arms Act yesterday. His father was booked under the Arms Act. Both were arrested yesterday.

The student shot dead school principal Ritu Chhabra (46) while she was in her office on Saturday morning and tried to flee. He was overpowered and handed over to the police.

He used his father’s licensed revolver to commit the crime.

Superintendent of Police (SP) Rajesh Kalia told mediapersons that during preliminary investigation, the accused told the police that he was upset with the principal for reprimanding him a few times in front of his classmates on complaints of teachers.

The accused fired four bullets at the principal. Sources said he had six bullets and the police had to recover the other two bullets.

The sources said the accused came on his motorcycle and parked it near the school. The police were yet to recover it.

Kamal Kamboj, president of Swami Vivekanand Education Society, had said the principal was alone in her office when the student opened fire as the teachers were in their classrooms for the parent-teacher meeting in the school.

He said Chhabra had been working as teacher in the school for about 20 years and was principal for the last between four and five years.

The body of the principal was cremated at Rampura today. The cremation was attended by a large number of people, including Yamunanagar MLA Ghanshyam Das Arora and DSP (HQ) Anil Kumar.