52-year-old government school teacher shot dead in Gopalganj

Senior police officer said that preliminary investigations suggest the killing was motivated by an old political enmity

PATNA: A 52-year-old government school teacher was shot dead on Friday in Gopalganj, police said.

Yadav was a former head of the Jhhirwa panchayat and remained active in Hathua subdivision-level politics (Representational image)

Arbind Kumar Yadav, a resident of Jhhirwa Tola, was on his way to teach at a middle school in Jhhirwa village under Uchkagaon police station when unidentified assailants intercepted his motorcycle and fired at least five bullets at point-blank range before fleeing the scene.

Preliminary investigations suggest the killing was motivated by an old political enmity, said Gopalganj superintendent of police (SP) Awadhesh Dixit.

According to the police, Yadav’s wife had previously served as head of the Jhhirwa panchayat, and his son, Vishwajit Yadav, is currently the chief of Uchkagaon block. Yadav was the former head of the Jhhirwa panchayat and remained active in Hathua subdivision-level politics.

Yadav was taken to Hathua Sadar Hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival.

“Teams are conducting raids at possible hideouts, but no arrests have been made so far,” the police said.

Hathua sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) Anand Mohan Gupta visited the crime scene and instructed police to investigate the case from all possible angles. A forensic science laboratory (FSL) team and a dog squad were deployed to collect evidence from the site.

Meanwhile, Ranjan Yadav, a representative of the block chief, alleged that the deceased had previously sought police protection but his request was ignored.

“He was killed due to the failure of the police administration. If the killers are not arrested within a stipulated period, all public representatives from the Hathua subdivision will resort to self-immolation,” he said.