School Director Shot Dead; Property Dispute Suspected

Shimla : A wave of panic has gripped the Sanjauli area of Himachal Pradesh’s capital after the brutal, daylight murder of a private school director. Manisha Mittal, who ran the Saraswati Paradise International School, was shot dead right outside the school gates on Saturday evening. The masked assailants managed to flee the scene and remain at large, prompting a massive police manhunt.

The incident occurred around 6:30 PM on Saturday when Mittal was returning to the school premises after purchasing daily essentials from a nearby shop. As she approached Gate Number 1, two masked men intercepted her.

According to security guard Yashpal, who was inside the premises waiting to open the gate, the attackers opened fire without warning. Local residents reported hearing at least three gunshots. CCTV footage recovered from the scene revealed a chilling sequence: one of the masked men initially shot Mittal in the head, causing her to collapse instantly. After briefly fleeing, the attackers returned to pump two more bullets into her at point-blank range to ensure her death, before escaping on foot.

Originally a resident of Rewari, Haryana, Manisha Mittal had been managing the Shimla-based school amid heavy personal turmoil. Investigators are strongly eyeing a bitter family feud as the primary motive.

Just months prior, on April 4, Mittal had held a press conference in Shimla, openly alleging that her life was in danger. She had claimed that following her father’s demise, close relatives—specifically her brother—were trying to usurp her rightful ownership of the school. The multi-crore property dispute reportedly dates back to 2020 and involves financial irregularities, including an 8-crore INR loan taken for an under-construction branch in Theog.

Following the murder, the victim’s husband, Dr. Subhash, directly accused her brother, Himank Mittal, a resident of Rohtak, of orchestrating the contract killing over the property war.

A forensic team has secured the crime scene, collecting blood samples and ballistic evidence. A case has been registered against unidentified individuals at the Sanjauli police station. Acting swiftly on the family's inputs, a special team of the Himachal Pradesh Police reached Rohtak on Sunday to interrogate Himank Mittal at his residence. ASP Shimla Abhishek stated that multiple teams are analyzing CCTV feeds and all angles are being thoroughly investigated to nab the killers.

(Report by Jitendra Verma)