The headmaster of a school in the Jiyanpur Kotwali area of Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh was shot dead on Thursday, December 1 by two bike-borne assailants.

According to a report by IANS, Sanjay Yadav, 46, was a resident of Kasada Ima village and was posted as headmaster at the composite school at Akhaipur in the Haraiya block. The assailants opened fire at Yadav near a brick kiln and fled from the spot.

Hearing the gunshot, locals working in a nearby field raised an alarm. They took the injured headmaster to a private trauma centre in the city, where he succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment.

A police team led by Azamgarh Superintendent of Police, Anurag Arya, arrived on the spot for investigation. The SP told IANS they have identified the killers and had started a manhunt to arrest them. He said a preliminary investigation suggested that the murder was a fallout of a rivalry in the panchayat elections. "The accused also have a criminal history. Police will take action against them under the Gangster Act and confiscate their property," the SP said.