School teacher killed days after she alleged harassment

A teacher was stabbed to death in the premises of a private school in Sikrauna village, Faridabad, Haryana, on Monday by a man she had previously raised a complaint against for harassment, police said. The accused, Amit (21) from Kot village, was arrested within two hours and later confessed to the crime, the police added.

The victim, a 30-year-old named Sandhya, worked as a teacher at Saraswati Senior Secondary School in Sikrona village. On Monday morning, she arrived at the school around 9:30 am. Police said the attack happened between 9:30 and 9:40 am after a masked man dragged her from her classroom and stabbed her several times. She was stabbed more than 20 times in the face, neck, and chest, which led to her death at the scene.

A preliminary investigation found that about two years ago, the accused was a student at a private school in the woman’s village. During that time, he got to know her and spoke with her a few times, according to a senior officer. Even though the victim did not want to interact with him, Amit kept following her. Upset by the ongoing harassment, the woman had reportedly threatened to file a case against the accused. The officer said the teacher had also filed a molestation complaint against Amit a few days earlier, but he apologised publicly at that time. Police believe Amit committed the crime in retaliation for the earlier incident.

On Monday, he waited on campus for some time and asked staff where the teacher was, the police added. Inspector Kewal Singh, Station House Officer at Faridabad’s Sector-58 police station, said, “As soon as the teacher came out, the assailant dragged her and stabbed her multiple times after pulling out a knife.”

Police said the video shows that even after Sandhya fell, the accused continued to stab her. When people heard the noise, school administrator Tejpal ran to help and tried to stop the attacker, but the accused threatened him with the knife, so he had to back away. The attacker kept others from helping and continued until Sandhya collapsed. The accused then ran away.

“There was only one attacker. He had a bike without a number plate, which was parked outside. After the incident, I informed police and immediately took Sandhya to hospital, where the doctor declared her dead,” Tejpal said. Police said the accused is being questioned and will be produced before a local court on Tuesday.