Kolkata, February 21 – A child was injured when a primary school teacher allegedly opened fire on school children playing outside his home in Murshidabad district, West Bengal, and the accused has been arrested, police said on Saturday.
According to local sources, there is a large field next to the house of the accused teacher, Sameer Kumar Mandal, in Banipur village. As on Fridays afternoon, about 10 to 12 children were playing cricket and football. During the game, the ball hit the door and wall of Sameer's house several times. Allegedly, the teacher lost his temper and fired five to six rounds from his gun at the children in the field.
A friend of the injured child told media persons, "We were playing. While playing, the ball hit the wall of Mandal's house several times. Suddenly, I saw him shooting at us from the roof. The bullets were passing by someone's ear and over someone's head. We could not move forward at first due to fear. Later, I saw that one of the bullets hit one of our friends."
"The injured child fell onto the field and started screaming. Locals rushed to the spot and took him to hospital. He is currently undergoing treatment there," police said.
After receiving the news, officers of Raghunathganj police station reached the spot. The accused teacher was arrested on Friday night. Police said the accused teacher works at Omarpur Primary School.
"A sophisticated air gun was used in the attack. It is being investigated whether he had the license for the gun. However, the accused's family claims that the air gun was purchased from Kolkata by showing the necessary documents," said a senior officer of Jangipur Police District.
The police are investigating the entire matter.
On the way to the police station, Sameer admitted to firing. He told local media persons, "I fired in the air, not at anyone. I don't understand how the bullet hit the child."
According to the injured child's father, "The boy went to play in the field next to the Kali Temple as usual."
"How could a teacher open fire on children like this?" he wondered, and demanded severe punishment for the accused.
