A government school principal and his wife were found brutally murdered in Uttar Pradesh’s Sultanpur district on Tuesday morning, with their bodies bearing injuries apparently inflicted by sharp and blunt weapons, police said.
A government school principal and his wife were found brutally murdered in Uttar Pradesh’s Sultanpur district on Tuesday morning, with their bodies bearing injuries apparently inflicted by sharp and blunt weapons, police said. The deceased were identified as 45-year-old Mukesh Singh, principal of a composite school in Khanuhat, and his 43-year-old wife, Vinita Singh, who ran a private school in Kumbhi Dadiya village. Mukesh was also the president of a block-level teachers’ association and was contesting the teachers’ union election scheduled for September 30.
The election had been postponed on September 28.
The double murder took place in Kumbhi Dadiya village, around 55 km from the Sultanpur district headquarters. The bodies were discovered around 7 am after the school driver arrived to collect the vehicle keys.
According to preliminary information, Vinita’s body was found inside the premises of the private school she ran, while Mukesh’s body was discovered around 150 metres away.
Police recovered a shovel, an axe and a knife from the crime scene. A bloodstained axe was also found behind the school premises, adding to the mystery surrounding the killings.
Police suspect Vinita may have been attacked inside a room at the school. Mukesh may have attempted to escape after the attack but was allegedly caught and killed around 150 metres away.
Sultanpur SP Vineet Jaiswal and Kadipur Circle Officer Vinay Gautam reached the spot along with a police team after receiving information about the murders. Investigators are examining the crime scene and gathering forensic evidence to determine the motive and establish the identities of the assailant or assailants.
Vinita ran Manraghi Inter College, an educational institution employing around 15 teachers and staff members. The couple lived approximately a kilometre from the school and had an only son, Abhyuday, 20, who is studying at Delhi University.
Mukesh had begun his career as a Shiksha Mitra before becoming an assistant teacher in 2009. He had reportedly served as the local teachers’ association president since 2013. The couple had also been associated with the educational institution they established in the village in 2002.
Vinita had previously contested a district panchayat election but was defeated.
Police are examining multiple possible angles, including personal, property-related and other disputes, as they work to establish the motive behind the killings. Officials said no conclusion would be drawn until the investigation and evidence collection are complete.