Cornered by cops, teacher’s killer takes own life in Rajasthan’s Salumbar district
TNN | Jul 27, 2024, 10.14 AM IST
UDAIPUR: The man who attacked and killed a Dalit school teacher with a sword in Salumbar district on Thursday evening, died by suicide after being surrounded by a police team on Friday. Fateh Singh (45) had fled to a forest area near the village after attacking the teacher, Shankarlal Meghwal (40), and his father, Dalchand Meghwal (60), in Adwas village.
Cops had immediately launched an intensive search for the attacker. When they eventually traced him to the jungle and cornered him, Singh turned the sword on himself. He was rushed to a nearby community health centre and then to a hospital in Udaipur, where doctors declared him dead on arrival.
Police said the motive for the attack on the father-son duo was yet to be ascertained, but they suspected it was either driven by some superstition or the accused was suffering from some psychological problem. Sources said Singh was reported to have visited local ‘bhopas’ (traditional healers/quacks) in the past.
Police have detained four individuals, including a ‘bhopa’, who are being interrogated. Salumber SP Arshad Ali said, “The attack appears to be a fallout of some superstitious belief. The assailant suspected the teacher of doing some occult rituals to harm his business. We are investigating the exact reason behind the murder.”
Shankarlal, who taught at a govt primary school at Methudi in Salumber, is survived by his wife, a two-year-old son and two daughters, aged five and nine. His father is undergoing treatment MB Hospital and is still said to be critical.
On Friday, members of the Meghwal community and Bhim Sena activists, along with the teacher’s relatives and other villagers, staged a protest outside the hospital mortuary, demanding a compensation of Rs 5 cr to the family. They also demanded educational support for Shankarlal’s children, a govt job for one of his children when they turn adult, Rs 50 lakh for his injured father and arm licence for the family members.
The protesters refused to accept the teacher’s body until the demands were acceded to. Till reports last came in, district administration officials were negotiating with them to scale down the demands. Prakash Meghwal, younger brother of the deceased, said the accused came to his father’s grocery shop under the pretence of buying cigarettes.
“The accused suddenly drew a sword and attacked Shankarlal, hitting him on his neck. When our father, who was sitting in the shop, tried to intervene, he was also attacked multiple times,” he said. Lalita Meghwal, Shankarlal’s disconsolate wife, said by the time she rushed out of the house nearby the shop to see what had happened, her husband was dead.
