Students of the Government Higher Secondary School at Shiva in Doda
district had a miraculous escape when an explosion on Monday seriously injured the principal and a staff member of the school.
The principal, Hoshiyar Singh, has been rushed to the Narayana Super-Specialty Hospital of the Vaishnodevi shrine at Katra. Another staff member, Ms. Sharifa, sustained burns.
The cause of the explosion is yet to be ascertained.
The office room of the principal in which the explosion occurred around 9.30 in the morning was badly damaged as the furniture and documents caught fire. The students were coming to the school after a holiday on Sunday.
Doda Deputy Commissioner Simrandeep Singh said the injured were first rushed to the district hospital from where the principal was referred to the Katra hospital. Condition of the principal was stable.
He said the police had taken up the case for investigation to ascertain all the facts. Senior police officers, including SP (Operations) Doda Ravinder Pal Singh and SDPO Bhadarwah Tousif Rishu, reached the spot for investigations.
A case under the explosive substances Act has been registered and a team of Forensic Science Laboratory, Jammu, has been rushed to examine the explosion spot.