3 held over revenge stabbing of law professor in Faridabad

Police say an absconding lawyer planned the attack after blaming the victim for his wife’s dismissal from a law college.

Three suspects were arrested on Sunday for allegedly stabbing a law college professor at the college entrance in Tigaon, Faridabad, on the direction of a lawyer, police said on Tuesday.

The assault at a Faridabad campus gate was allegedly orchestrated by a lawyer, while three hired attackers have been remanded to custody. (File photo)

Police said the lawyer, Gyanender Khatana, is absconding and had allegedly orchestrated the attack to seek revenge after his wife, Dr Bhumika Khatana, was sacked from the college. The couple believed that the termination followed a complaint made by the victim.

The arrested accused were identified as Rinku Kumar, 32, of Ghodi and Deepak Kumar, 28, of Ghodi Chant in Palwal, and Sumit Kumar, 20, of Kotwan in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh. The trio was arrested on Sunday and produced before a Faridabad court on Monday, which granted two-day police remand for interrogation.

The injured professor was identified as Subhash Shukla, 41, a resident of Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh, who lived in Bharat Colony, Palwal, police said.

The incident took place on the morning of January 22 when Shukla alighted from an auto-rickshaw at the college entrance to attend classes. Police said the accused were waiting at the gate and first assaulted him with hammers before stabbing him multiple times in the chest and abdomen.

Commuters alerted the police control room, following which college officials rushed Shukla to Badshah Khan civil hospital. He was later shifted to a private hospital due to his critical condition, which is now stable.

Faridabad police public relations officer Yashpal Yadav said Bhumika was suspended a month ago over poor attendance and repeated delayed arrival and was finally sacked on January 16. “She suspected her senior, Subhash, had complained against her to the college administration and shared the same with her husband who later orchestrated the attack,” he said.

Investigators said Gyanender was handling a criminal case of Rinku’s cousin and knew him. Police said Rinku has two criminal cases and Deepak has one criminal case registered against them in Faridabad.

On Subhash’s complaint, an FIR was registered against the couple and the other suspects under sections 117(2) (voluntarily causing grievous hurt) and 118(1) (voluntarily causing hurt or grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at Tigaon police station on January 22.