School teacher shot dead on AMU campus; hunt on for assailants

ALIGARH: A school teacher was shot dead by unidentified assailants on the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) campus, police said on Thursday. AMU Proctor Mohammad Waseem Ali identified the deceased as Rao Danish Ali, a teacher at ABK Union High School, affiliated with the university.

On Wednesday night, Rao Danish Ali was walking near the Kennedy Auditorium with two of his colleagues when some masked men accosted him and fired at him from point-blank range after briefly talking to him, the proctor told PTI.

He collapsed on the spot and was rushed to the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College Hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival, Mohammad Waseem Ali said. The incident occurred after 9 pm. Rao Danish had gone to the AMU canteen for tea, which was part of his daily routine, he said.

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Though the shooting was captured on CCTV cameras installed near the canteen, the footage was unclear due to darkness and fog, the proctor said. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Neeraj Kumar, along with police personnel, rushed to the spot and an alert was issued to trace the assailants.

Kumar told reporters late Wednesday night that police have spoken to the victim's family and colleagues to ascertain the motive behind the killing. Police are scanning CCTV footage from the surrounding areas to track the movement of the attackers, he said.