UP: Head constable held for killing government teacher, govt announces Rs 25 lakh ex gratia to kin

The Uttar Pradesh police on Tuesday arrested a head constable who had allegedly shot dead a teacher here following an altercation, officials said.

The incident that took place in the Civil Lines area here on Sunday night triggered protests and criticism from opposition leaders.

District magistrate Arvind Mallappa Bangari on Tuesday said the state government has announced an ex gratia of Rs 25 lakh for the family of the deceased– Dharmendra Kumar.

Kumar was part of a team of the education department from Varanasi that had brought UP Board exam answer sheets to the SD Inter College here, according to the police.

The group included another teacher and two class-four employees and was accompanied by a police team from Varanasi. They all were waiting in a vehicle for the college gate to open when the incident took place, he said.

Senior Superintendent of Police Abhishek Singh said the accused, Head Constable Chander Prakash, was allegedly under the influence of alcohol and was asking others for tobacco, disturbing the group of teachers and employees by not letting them sleep.

When Kumar objected to Prakash’s demands, an argument broke out between them. In a fit of rage, the constable shot dead Kumar with his service carbine, the SSP said. The victim was rushed to a district hospital where he was declared brought dead, he said. The body has been sent for post mortem and the murder weapon has been seized, the officer said. Based on the complaint filed by the family members of the deceased, the police had lodged an FIR under the Indian Penal Code section 302 (murder) and the SC/ST Act on Monday, the SSP added.