Karnataka horror: Guest teacher throws 10-year-old to death from 1st floor of government school

The accused guest teacher, identified as one Muthappa, has gone absconding with his mobile phone switched off, said the police.

ByBellie Thomas

Published Dec 19, 2022 | 9:06 PMUpdatedDec 19, 2022 | 9:07 PM

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A man from Karnataka is on the run after a 10-year-old he threw down from the first floor of a government school succumbed to his injuries on Monday, 19 December, said the police.

The incident took place in the Hadli village in the Naragund taluk of the Gadag district of Karnataka.

The victim has been identified as a fourth-standard student named Bharat Baraker, the police said.

He was rushed to a hospital for treatment, but succumbed to his injures, the cops added.

The accused identified as Muthappa is said to be of around 35 years of age, and belonged to the same Hadali village as the victim and his family.

He has gone absconding soon after committing the crime, and his mobile phone is at present switched off, said the police.

The cops added that Muthappa also assaulted the boy’s mother, who is another guest teacher at the same school, and a male teacher who tried to stop him.

The incident

According to the Naragund police, the incident happened between 11.30 am and 12 pm when Bharat was sitting in one of the classrooms.

Muthappa, who was on the ground floor, came to the first floor and barged into the classroom. He took Bharat outside and locked the class, with the remaining students inside.

Muthappa then started assaulting the boy, smashing him into the walls and the pillars of the school building.

He then picked up the boy by his legs and threw him to the ground from the first floor.

Hearing the commotion and realising that someone was assaulting her son, Geetha Baraker came running to the first floor and was also assaulted by Muthappa.

When a male teacher came to Geetha’s rescue, Muthappa assaulted him as well, leaving him bleeding from his nose. He then fled the spot, said the police said.

Motive and further police action

Preliminary inquiries by the police revealed multiple versions of the incident.

One version starts with Bharat coming late for the morning assembly prayers at the school and being reprimanded by the guest teacher Muthappa.

The boy complained to his mother about this and went to another class and sat there, police sources said.

All of a sudden, all hell broke loose around 11.30 am when Muthappa engaged went on his assaulting spree.

Another version was that Bharat used to tease Muthappa in a “vulgar way” among his friends. This came to the notice of the teacher, who started targeting Bharat.

“The Naragund police have registered a case of murder, assault with dangerous weapons, and under other sections of the law,” Naragund Sub-Division DSP YS Eganagoudar told South First.

“We have credible leads about the whereabouts of the accused, even though his mobile phone remains switched off. We will secure him at the earliest,” he added.

“The real motive of the murder is yet to be ascertained, and it will emerge only after the arrest of the accused and after the police get a statement from Geetha,” Superintendent of Police Shivaprakash Devaraju told South First.

“She sustained grievous injuries to her head, and was found unconscious. She has been admitted to the KIMS Hospital in Hubballi,” he added.