Berhampur: An assistant teacher of PM SHRI Balunkeswarpur High School at Khallikote in Ganjam district was critically injured after being assaulted by unidentified persons near the school gate on Tuesday morning. Police said the motive behind the attack was not immediately known.The injured teacher, Bhabani Prasad Dash, was initially taken to the Khallikote community health centre and later shifted to MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur after his condition turned serious. He sustained severe head injuries after allegedly being attacked with a wooden log. Khallikote police registered a case based on a complaint filed by school headmaster Sanjay Kumar Behera and launched an investigation.According to sources, the incident occurred between 9.35 am and 9.40 am when Dash was riding his scooter to school. As he approached the school gate, a group of miscreants allegedly struck him on the head with a wooden log and fled. Fellow teachers rushed to his aid after he collapsed and shifted him to hospital.Dash, a resident of Khallikote, joined the school as an assistant teacher about four months ago, Behera said. He added that there were no known disputes involving staff or students that could have led to the attack. Sources said some villagers had visited the school demanding the posting of a science teacher and better management of the mid-day meal programme. Police have not established any link between these issues and the assault.IIC of Khallikote police station Ramesh Pradhan said, “We are probing the case from various angles and questioning local residents as well as school staff.” They recovered Dash’s blood-stained scooter and a wooden plank believed to have been used in the assault.
