Day after killings: Blood stains of two teachers haunt staff; school deserted, watchman in shock

Srinagar, Oct 08, 2021: The left-over bloodstains of two teachers on path leading to the Government Boys Higher Secondary School Sangam, Eidgah in Srinagar perhaps was the main reason that haunted the school staff as none of them was present in the institution. The watchman of the school was lost in deep thoughts, rather in a state of mourning, as he sometimes looked at the school building amid deep sighs.

On Thursday, gunmen killed Supinder Kour, the principal of the GBHSS and her male colleague Deepak Chand, leaving the entire school staff in a deep shock and grief. The school staff had a genuine reason to leave the building deserted as they were called for a meeting by the Director School Education Kashmir (DSEK).

The left-over blood stains of two teachers that are slightly visible may continue to haunt the school staff, even though much water has been used to clear off. But as they say, “blood is thicker than water”, the stains, though light in colour, may remain on the path outside the school, so would the gory memories among the staff that were present at the time of killing of two of their colleagues including the institution head.

Lost in deep thoughts, the inconsolable watchman—Zahoor Ahmad Magray was present. His gaze at the school building could narrate it all. “I have been serving this institution for the past two months. There was no fear at all. But yesterday’s incident has changed everything, every staff member including me too are in a tight grip of fear,” he said. “The entire staff had come to the school, but in the afternoon, they all left to visit the office of Director of School Education Kashmir who had called them for a meeting.”

He said that there is a total strength of around 28 teaching staff in the school that includes 17 teachers and 09 lecturers.

Magray said that he usually comes to school after evening to keep a night to guard the premises and while reaching the school on Thursday, there was hearsay that there persons had entered the premises and killed the principal and the teacher.

He said, “I heard that three people entered the school premises and snatched the mobile phones of all the teachers. They took the two slain teachers separate and killed them.”

“Tittle-tattle was also heard that the gunmen were carrying the pistols,” Magray said.

Meanwhile, the locals of the area told KNO that there has been fear in the area.

“Till date, no such incident has taken place in our area but the killing of two teachers has created a fear of psychosis among us,” said one of the locals.

She said that they heard some sounds but it looked like the sound of tin sheets “It didn’t sound like the gun shots.”—(KNO)