After being scolded, student shoots MP school principal dead; held

A Class 12 student allegedly shot dead the principal of his school in Madhya Pradesh's Chhatarpur district on Friday afternoon after being admonished, the police said. 

The 17-year-old boy fled on the principal's scooter after the incident that took place around 1.30 pm but was nabbed within a few hours, said inspector Pushpendra Yadav of Orchha Road police station.

He was traced near the district's border with Uttar Pradesh, the official said, adding that the accused was known for wayward behaviour at school.

The weapon used for the killing was also seized from him, Yadav added.

The teenager allegedly shot principal S K Saxena (55) in the head with a locally-made pistol near the toilet at Dhamora Government High School, said superintendent of police Agam Jain, adding that the victim died on the spot.

Jain said the accused had not come to school on Friday and Saxena had spotted him at the school gate while the latter was about to go somewhere.

The principal admonished him, following which the accused allegedly committed the crime, Jain added.

"The accused was not in school uniform. He did not enter deep into the campus. The toilet, where he shot Saxena, is near the main gate. The accused might have followed the principal to the toilet and shot him dead. He had tucked the firearm in the waistband of his pants," the SP informed.

The accused has told police he acted alone and that the classmate had come to stop him from shooting, the SP said.

As of now there is just one accused, Jain said, adding the previous information about an associate was based on CCTV footage.

"That student (seen along with the accused) possibly went to save the principal. That is why he appeared in CCTV footage. Now, things have cleared. Only one person has been charged with murder and stands arrested," Jain clarified.

The other boy went home alone and then fled into the jungle nearby, possibly out of fear, and is currently untraceable, the SP added.

As per the probe so far, the accused does not have criminal antecedents, Jain said.

He was not good at studies, the SP pointed out.

The accused has named one person as the supplier of the firearm and a probe into this aspect is underway, the official said.

Earlier, area City Superintendent of Police Aman Mishra told PTI that only one round was fired.

"As per initial investigation, the accused was angry at being scolded," said Mishra.

Saxena had been principal at the school for five years, said in-charge district education officer R P Prajapati.

Harishankar Joshi, a teacher at the school, told reporters that Saxena was a "gem of a person" and claimed that the accused was a "notorious lad" who came to school as per his whim.

"Principal Saxena used to counsel such students. If things did not improve, he would call their parents. He had cordial relations with all the staff," Joshi said.