Witnesses depose in MP prof's murder case

Ujjain, MP, Apr 5 (UNI) The District and Sessions Court hearing the murder case of Madhav College Prof Harbhajan Singh Sabharwal today recorded eight witnesses' statements saying that students owing allegiance to a certain students' organisation were incensed over cancellation of a students' union poll.

Seven class representatives said that they were about to go for voting when they learnt that the Staff Council cancelled the election. Some students submitted a memorandum to the Principal.

All the student leaders told Judge A K Sharma that they were ''unaware'' that the professor was fatally assaulted on August 26, 2006 in the college. A local channel's representative said that he had no knowledge about Prof Sabharwal's killers.

''Eight witnesses are to depose tomorrow and four of them are police personnel who were eye-witnesses,'' submitted Public Prosecutor Vikram Singh Sikarwar.

The Madhya Pradesh government ordered a Crime Investigation Department inquiry into the murder. The then Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad state President Shashiranjan Singh Akela was among six persons arrested. A total of 55 witnesses were scheduled to depose and 27 have already done so.

UNI