Expelled Delhi student 'stabs teacher to death in front of classmates taking exam'

Two pupils involved in the attack had reportedly faced warnings over poor attendance

An empty classroom in an Indian school (Getty Images)

Two students have allegedly stabbed a teacher to death in front of their classmates after one was expelled for poor attendance.

Mukesh Kumar, a Hindi teacher at a government school in Nangloi, west Delhi, was punched and stabbed repeatedly by a student who barged into a classroom during an exam at around 5pm on Monday, according to school authorities.

He was allegedly joined by another student sitting the exam, who left his seat and took part in the attack.

The 50-year-old teacher was sent to Balaji Action Hospital where he later died from his injuries.

The two pupils, who are understood to be aged 17 and 18, had been warned they would be denied permission to complete an examination due to a lack of attendance, local media reports.

The student who allegedly initiated the attack had recently been expelled, according to NDTV.

Both students were arrested hours after the attack, the Indian Express reports.

Police said the boys had "lost their temper" and attacked the teacher with a knife. They added that they had punched and stabbed Mr Kumar repeatedly and left him bleeding on the floor.

A teacher at the school told NDTV: "I was submitting exam sheets [...] suddenly I heard some noise and saw two children running. When I went there I saw [Mr Kumar] was bleeding [...] we immediately took him to hospital."

He said the students allegedly involved in the attack had failed exams several times.

Another member of staff at the school, Gulab Sharma, told The Tribune: “The incident occurred between 5 to 5.30 pm. Two students attacked Hindi teacher Mukesh with a knife. He was rushed to Balaji Hospital where authorities asked the staff to deposit money for the treatment."

Teachers from across Delhi joined in large demonstrations near the school on Tuesday demanding greater protection, with many teachers claiming they had been subjected to threats and harassment form students after punishing them for failing exams or low attendance, the Times of India reports.

Government schools in the Delhi area boycotted exams and classes as part of a protest by the Government School Teacher Association (GSTA) over Mr Kumar's death.

The GSTA are demanding that Mr Kumar's family are compensated £120,000 for the tragedy as well as a dedicated police service in schools.

Mr Kumar's family have blamed the police and school for his death alleging that warnings that his life was under threat were ignored.

Neelam, Mr Kumar’s wife, told The Hindu: “It is a shocking incident for us. He had complained about the notorious conduct of these students to the Principal earlier, but no action was taken by the school authority."

Badan Singh, the school's vice-principal, has reportedly denied the allegations.