Panchkula boy stabbed to death outside school
Police say victim had slapped another boy during scuffle, which led to murder
A Class 11 boy was stabbed to death outside Government Model Senior Secondary School (GMSSS), Sector 7, on Monday afternoon.
Victim Vikas Kumar, 15, who was studying in the humanities stream, was attacked as soon as he stepped out of the school gate around 2:30pm, said police.
Another student received injuries on his hand while trying to save Vikas. Students present at the spot said the group that attacked Vikas comprised around 30 people and they were wearing a uniform. Vinod, a school staffer, who gave the attackers a chase, said they fled towards Manimajra. Vikas was rushed to the civil hospital, but was declared brought dead.
Meanwhile, police claimed a scuffle between students led to the attack.
Assistant commissioner of police (ACP) Noopur Bishnoi visited the spot and hospital soon after the incident.
“Investigation is underway and teams are working on several aspects. We have registered a case under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC),” said Bishnoi. “It is yet to be established how many people attacked the victim.”
Main accused identified, no arrest yet
Panchkula deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Abhishek Jorwal said according to the initial probe, the victim had slapped another school student after a scuffle over a mobile phone on Saturday.
“It was the scuffle that let to the Monday attack. The student has been identified. The exact number of people involved will become clear after the arrest,” he said.
Meanwhile, the ACP said footage of closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera installed near the school and questioning of schoolchildren could not provide leads on the identity of all assailants.
Besides officials of the Sector 5 police station, the crime branch has also been roped in for probe.
Inspector Aman Kumar, in-charge, crime branch, said: “According to preliminary investigation, the victim was stabbed on his chest, which punctured his heart and led to his death.”
ACP Bishnoi said more details will come after the autopsy.
Will not allow autopsy till arrests: Kin
The victim’s family is from Uttar Pradesh and resides at Ralla village in Sector 12, Panchkula, for the past 12 years.
He was the second youngest among three brothers and two sisters.
The victim’s mother, Meena, who works as an attendant at a private school in Panchkula, was the first from the family to reach the hospital.
“My son has been killed brutally. We need justice at any cost. We’ll ensure the school remains closed till my son’s killers are behind bars,” said the mother, who broke down at the hospital’s emergency ward after seeing her son’s body.
His father, Banwari Lal, who works at a factory, reached the hospital in the evening. “Until the accused are arrested, we will not let anyone conduct the postmortem,” he said, outside the mortuary. Victim’s younger brother Aakash also studies in the same class, while their elder brother Vijay works with a private firm.
Meanwhile, school principal Sanjay Kumar, who later visited the hospital, said: “I was away for a meeting when the incident took place. I had left around 1:40pm and received a call about the incident an hour later.”
Used to serve at local temple
Neelkanth Sharma, a spiritual guide who serves at a temple near Yadav Bhavan in Sector 12 here, said Vikas was a dedicated boy and had been in contact with him since he was just six-year-old. In fact, Vikas used to open the temple gates every evening, he said.
Sharma, who reached the hospital, said Vikas regularly participated in activities held at the temple.
“He used to perform voluntary service at temple events. He also took spiritual lessons from me. Everyone who comes to the temple knows him by him name. On Monday, a few women called me up to inform me that Vikas had not opened the temple gates. When I called his mother, I got to know about the incident. I am still numb,” he said.