HARYANA SCHOOL KILLING: STAFF SAYS STUDENT ‘BADTEMPERED’
Was warned against bringing bike, mobile to school; sent to 2day police remand
KARNAL: A day after a Class-12 student allegedly shot dead his school principal in her office in Yamunanagar on Saturday, conflicting accounts about the 18-year-old have emerged, with the school staff calling him a spoilt brat while his neighbours vouching for his sincerity.
The boy was arrested after he allegedly pumped four bullets on the face and chest of Ritu Chhabra (46), principal of Swami Vivekananda Public School, with his father’s licensed .32 bore revolver.
Police said he went to the school during a parent-teacher meeting (PTM) around 10.30am and forced his way into Chhabra’s office to teach her a lesson as she used to punish him in front of his fellow students over his poor academic performance and low attendance.
Chhabra succumbed to bullet injuries at a private hospital.
A school staff member said, “The principal had also warned him against bringing mobile phone to the school.”
The boy, who turned 18 on January 10, has been charged with murder. His father is a financier. The family lives in Yamunanagar town’s Hamida locality.
Yamunanagar SP Rajesh Kalia said the boy was not good in his studies. The police on Sunday produced the boy and his father in the district court. While the student was sent to two-day police remand, his father, who was booked under the Arms Act, was sent to judicial custody.
FRIENDS AND NEIGHBOURS SHOCKED
The news of the boy killing his principal has left his friends and neighbours shocked.
“No doubt, he was a pampered son of a businessman, but he was affable and polite. There might be something that drove him to take this extreme step,” said one of the family’s neighbours. “How could he murder his principal? It is unbelievable and shocking,” said Ravi Kumar, a neighbour. “He is a very good boy and always greeted his elders by touching their feet. He used to go to the temple everyday,” said Vikram Pandit, another neighbour.
Kamal Kamboj, president of Swami Vivekanand Society that runs the school, said, “There were some issues with this boy. First, he used to come on a Bullet (Royal Enfield) bike against school rules and he was scolded for this. Another was about his low attendance and also he never took his teachers and studies seriously.”
Kamboj said, “Our staff said he never cared what the teachers would say. He was a pampered son of a rich man.”