BHOPAL: A school principal was shot dead by a class 12 student in Chhatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh on Friday. The suspect, a 17-year-old, followed the teacher into the washroom and shot him in the head at point-blank range, say police. Then, he walked into the principal’s office, took his scooter keys and drove off. He was caught near UP border in the evening.
The motive for the murder hasn’t been established yet. Teachers described the victim, 55-year-old Surendra Kumar Saxena, as a ‘kind man’, who often went the extra mile for his students and had no known disputes. The alleged shooter lives in a village a further 10km from school. According to sources, the boy had previously been warned by principal Saxena for undisciplined behaviour. Saxena had even contacted the student’s father multiple times to address the issue.
On Friday, the principal yet again cautioned the boy that he would face action. After killing him, he fled towards the UP border, barely 30km away, but was chased down and detained. He was found still armed with the pistol, said police. One of the priorities is to find out how a schoolboy managed to procure a pistol.