M A I N   N E W S

Man kills wife, shoots at son, daughter
Tribune News Service

SAS Nagar, August 21
It was a depressing morning for the township with households turning into scenes of heinous crimes. While in Phase 10 here, a 45-year-old man shot dead his wife, before shooting at his teenage stepdaughter and six-year-old son, in another incident at village Chandiala, a 22-year-old woman was burnt to death while her husband is battling for life with over 80 per cent burns.

In the Phase 10 incident, 42-year-old Gurinder Kaur, working as a junior assistant in Chandigarh, was shot at twice in the neck in her sleep by her husband Rajinder Sandhu early this morning. While Gurinder died on the spot, the daughter, Komal, also shot at twice, is battling for life at the PGI. The son, Paras, had a miraculous escape with the bullets directed towards him hitting the wall. Rajinder Sandhu walked out of the house after committing the crime with the pistol he used and is still at large.

Stating that marital discord led to the murder, the police said that Rajinder Singh and his wife, both married for the second time, did not get along well and routinely fought over Komal’s career. Komal, who is Gurinder’s daughter from her first marriage, worked as a professional model and was being encouraged by her mother while Rajinder Singh did not approve of her work. According to another theory, Komal was wanting to get married to someone whom the stepfather did not approve of.

‘‘The two had a fight last night after which Rajinder started drinking. He got up early in the morning and shot at his wife at point blank range while she was still asleep. After this he went to Komal’s bedroom and shot at her and Paras. Komal received two bullets, one on the face and another on her waist.’’said Mr Harcharan Singh Bhullar, SP Mohali. First admitted to Government Medical College and Hospital in Sector 32, she was later shifted to the PGI where her condition is said to be stable but not out of danger.

At village Chandiala, a young woman Balwinder Kaur allegedly killed herself by setting herself and her husband on fire. While Balwinder died on the spot, Harbhajan is admitted to the PGI with 80 per cent burns.

The police said that Balwinder who belongs to village Sangoli in Dera Bassi had been married three years ago to Harbhajan. But she and Harbhajan did not get along well. She returned home to stay with her parents and lived in her home for over a year. But after the two families insisted she was sent to Chandiala three months ago.