Teacher shot dead in front of students in Bihar’s Vaishali

Bihar has witnessed a number of murders in broad daylight over the last few months. Records with the state police revealed that over 550 people died in such incidents since January 1.

Three motorcycle-borne men gunned down a teacher at a government school in Vaishali on Monday, even as hundreds of students watched on.

The trio sped away immediately after shooting the victim, 35-year-old Sanskrit teacher Radhesh Ranjan. (AFP file)

Police said the trio entered the campus of the LN High School in Bhagwanpur on the two-wheeler early that morning. They sped away immediately after shooting down the victim, 35-year-old Sanskrit teacher Radhesh Ranjan.

The incident sparked angry protests by local residents, who staged a road-roko on the nearby national highway-77 with the teacher’s body. They dispersed only after Hajipur assistant superintendent of police Ajoy Kumar arrived at the scene and promised prompt action.

Kumar said Ranjan, a resident of Bahlolpur village, had survived a similar attempt on his life when he was posted at the Paunihassanpur high school a couple of years ago.

Senior officers at the police headquarters in Patna held a high-level meeting after the incident. Tirhut inspector general of police Sunil Kumar said efforts are on to arrest the culprits at the earliest.

“The deceased’s family suspects the involvement of two people in the murder. We will pick them up once the FIR is lodged,” said Vaishali superintendent of police MS Dhillon.

A video shot by a local resident on his mobile phone seemed to show some teenagers in school uniform chasing the assailants shortly after the attack. It is yet to be verified by the authorities.

Shakti Singh Yadav, MLA and Rashtriya Janata Dal spokesperson, asserted that the law-and-order machinery in the state has collapsed under the Nitish Kumar government. “There is no fear of the police among criminals. The government has lost control over the state,” he said.

Dr Niska Sinha, a psychiatrist at the Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, said children who witness such violent incidents can get emotionally scarred. “Besides post-traumatic stress, the murder of teachers – whom kids idolise – can affect their mental growth adversely. They may start suffering from panic attacks, disturbed sleep and even slip into depression,” she added.

Bihar has witnessed a number of murders in broad daylight over the last few months. Records with the state police revealed that over 550 people died in such incidents since January 1.

Two days ago, armed men barged into the shop of a trader, Dina Sao, in Raghunath Tola locality and opened fire. While Sao was injured in the attack, his son – Banti Kumar Gupta – succumbed to his injuries.

A month ago, a female teacher was shot dead while she was going to the market with her brother on the busy Vaishali Road.