West Bengal school headmaster shot dead in broad daylight, probe underway

Kolkata: A school headmaster who was shot by unidentified assailants in broad daylight in West Bengal’s North Dinajpur district on Saturday succumbed to his injuries later in the day, police said.

The deceased, Nazrul Islam, headmaster of a local school in Islampur, was attacked in the Madaripur area while on his way to work on Saturday morning.

After being hit by a bullet, he was rushed to the Islampur Sub-Divisional Hospital and subsequently shifted to a higher medical facility in Siliguri. However, despite doctors’ efforts, he died around 1 p.m.

The Islampur police have launched a detailed investigation into the incident. They are examining the CCTV footage of the area to get some clues. No one has been arrested in this connection so far. Police have not yet found any motive for the murder.

Expressing shock over the incident, the victim’s daughter, Naina Khatun, said the family was unable to comprehend why he had been targeted. “My father was an honest man. He had no enmity with anyone. We have no idea why he had been killed,” she said.

Ruksana Khatun, the wife of the deceased headmaster, told media persons that her husband was talking to her over mobile phone when he was shot. “Even after he was shot, he informed me about being hit by a bullet. However, he could not say who shot him,” she said.

Colleagues and fellow teachers also expressed disbelief over the murder, describing Nazrul Islam as a dedicated, punctual and committed educator with no known personal enmity.

According to local eyewitnesses, the headmaster, a resident of the Ambagan crossing area in Islampur, had no political affiliation. They said he was proceeding to school as usual when unidentified miscreants intercepted him in the Madaripur area and fired multiple rounds, one of which struck him, causing him to collapse on the road.