Shimla/Dharamshala (HP), February 13 A 58-year-old midday meal worker was allegedly murdered inside a government primary school in the Chinaur village of Dehra in Himachal's Kangra district in broad daylight, right in front of students, police said on Friday.
The accused, identified as Rakesh Kumar (48), was arrested 30 minutes after the incident, which occurred on Thursday afternoon. He entered the school premises and allegedly attacked the victim, Salochna Devi, a resident of Chinaur, with a sickle in the school kitchen.
Upon hearing the children's screams, teachers rushed from the classrooms to find Kumar holding a sharp-edged weapon while Salochna lay in a pool of blood in the kitchen area, police said.
The teachers asked Kumar to leave, but he threatened them. Soon, teachers from a nearby school reached the spot and pelted him with stones, forcing him to flee.
Sulochna was rushed to the nearby community health centre, where the doctors declared her dead. As news of the incident began to spread, several parents arrived at the school and demanded that outsiders be barred from the school premises.
The incident has caused shock and concern among locals regarding the safety of children in the school.
A murder case has been registered under Section 103 of the BNS Act, and the accused, who resides in the same village as the victim, has been arrested. The weapon used in the crime has also been recovered, police said, adding that investigations are ongoing to determine the motive behind this brutal act.
Superintendent of Police (SP) of police district Dehra Mayank Chaudhary said that the police are meticulously collecting and preserving all physical, documentary, and scientific evidence. A thorough, impartial, and fact-based investigation is underway, and further legal proceedings will follow in accordance with the law, he said.
The accused was produced before a court in Kangra, on Friday and remanded to five days of police custody. He will be presented again before the court on February 17.
The body of the deceased was handed over to the family members after the post-mortem examination.
Meanwhile, Education Minister Rohit Thakur has directed the education department to immediately review and further strengthen security arrangements in all schools across the state to safeguard the lives of students, teachers, midday meal workers and supporting staff and to prevent the recurrence of such tragic incidents in the future.
