Stabbed Delhi teacher dies, family gets Rs 1 cr

New Delhi: A 45-year-old Delhi government school teacher stabbed by two Class 12 students succumbed to his injuries on Tuesday. The Delhi government announced Rs 1 crore to the grieving family.

Police said they had arrested the two students, including a minor, for the horrific killing of Mukesh Kumar which triggered widespread anger in the teaching community in the capital.

Kumar, a teacher at Nangloi, was attacked on Monday evening by the two students after one of them was rusticated for low attendance. The teacher was collecting exam sheets in the classroom when the killers barged in.

A police officer said while one of the students held a stunned Kumar firmly, the other student plunged the knife into him. As Kumar collapsed, the young assailants escaped.

Kumar, a father of three, died in a hospital on Tuesday. He hailed from Bahadurgarh in Haryana.

"Both students were frequent absentees and indisciplined. Kumar took steps to maintain discipline. The minor student was rusticated from the school due to poor attendance," Joint Commissioner of Police Dependra Pathak told IANS. 

"On interrogation, the students revealed that they planned to teach Kumar a lesson. So they bought a knife and stabbed him," Pathak said.

"After committing the crime, they roamed around Nithari lake and Begumpur area before they were apprehended," he said. A knife and a blood stained cloth were recovered from them. 

Both students were charged with murder. The adult student was identified as Vivek Jha.

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said Kumar's family can never be compensated for the loss they have suffered.

"The government will give Rs 1 crore to his family as immediate financial assistance," he said.

The government ordered a magisterial inquiry into the killing.

Jai Bhagwan Dahiya, Principal of the nearby Government Boys School at JJ Colony at Nangloi, profusely praised the dead teacher.

"Mukesh Kumar was an honest, hard working and very able teacher," Dahiya told IANS. 

"This kind of incident has happened for the first time in this area although brawls are frequent among students," he said. 

C.P. Singh, President of the Government School Teachers Association, told IANS: "I knew (Kumar) since 1993... You won't find a better teacher than him."

Sisodia made a passionate appeal to parents: "It is high time we talk to our children and teach them to respect our teachers."

Kumar's death caused mass anger in the teaching community, particularly in the government schools.

Examinations were stopped at a number of schools following a protest by the Government School Teachers' Association (GSTA). 

The affected schools included those at Rani Jhansi Road, New Rohtak Road, Dev Nagar and Prasad Nagar. At some schools, students were sent home after the mid-day meal.

The teachers held a condolence meeting for Kumar in Nangloi.

The GSTA demanded that Kumar's family be given at least Rs. 2 crore, his name be added to the school's name and his statue be installed. 

They also sought better security in schools.