Teacher shot dead in front of 5-year-old daughter in Punjab; husband prime suspect

A woman teacher was shot dead on Thursday outside her school in Punjab's Mohali district in front of her five-year-old daughter who was accompanying her, police said. The woman's husband has emerged as the prime suspect in the case, they said. Sarabjit Kaur, who was in her early 30s, was attacked in the morning when she was parking her scooter outside the school in Kharar town, Superintendent of Police (Investigations), Mohali, Harmandeep Singh Hans said over the phone.

The shooter had covered his face with a shawl and fled after the incident, he said.  The teacher's five-year-old daughter, who studies in the school, was accompanying her at the time of the incident, he said. In a CCTV camera footage, the assailant was seen running away from the spot, he said, adding that he did not harm the girl. Kaur used to teach Punjabi and French at the private school.

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She was rushed to a hospital after the incident, but doctors declared her brought dead, he said. The assailant was seen roaming in the area and as soon as the teacher reached the school he opened fire on her, eyewitnesses told reporters.  Hans said the woman's husband Harvinder was the prime suspect in the case.

It was Harvinder's second marriage. He had concealed the fact of his first marriage from his second wife. We have launched a hunt to nab the accused, he said. Hans said that another person was accompanying the prime suspect at the time of the incident. We are also looking for him, he said.

The victim had filed a police complaint against Harvinder for marrying her by fraud, Hans said.  Harvinder had married Sarabjit seven years ago after which they lived in France for some time. Police said the relationship between the two became strained after Sarabjit came to know about Harvinder's first marriage some time back.

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Akali Dal on murder 

Commenting on the broad daylight murder, Shiromani Akali Dal leader and former Minister Bikram Singh Majithia alleged that law and order situation has worsened in Punjab under the Congress rule. Anti-social elements are not afraid of the law. Killings are being conducted in broad daylight with impunity. The killing of a woman teacher in Kharar today is only the latest one in a series of such incidents. 

"Prior to this, a woman drug inspector had ben killed in Kharar town only. This shows there is no fear of law, the SAD leader said. 

Woman drug inspector Neha Shoree was shot dead in March this year at her office in Kharar by a chemist, who later committed suicide by shooting himself when he was caught while escaping.

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