LUCKNOW: A government school principal and his wife were found murdered on Tuesday morning in the Kadipur area of Sultanpur, with both bodies bearing injuries apparently caused by sharp and blunt weapons, police said.The deceased were identified as Mukesh Singh (45), a principal posted at a composite school in Khanuhat, and his wife Vinita Singh (43), who ran a private school in the village.Mukesh was also president of a block-level teachers’ association and was contesting the teachers’ union election this year. The election, scheduled for September 30, had been postponed on September 28.The incident took place in Kumbhi Dadiya village, around 55 km from the Sultanpur district headquarters. The bodies were discovered around 7am, when the school driver arrived to collect the vehicle keys.According to preliminary information, Vinita’s body was found inside the premises of the private school she operated, while Mukesh’s body was found around 150 metres away.Police recovered a shovel, an axe and a knife from the spot. A bloodstained axe was also found behind the school premises.Police suspect that Vinita may have been attacked inside a room at the school. Mukesh may have attempted to flee but was attacked and killed around 150 metres away, though the exact sequence of events is yet to be established.Sultanpur SP Vineet Jaiswal and Kadipur Circle Officer Vinay Gautam reached the spot with a police team after receiving information about the murders.Investigators are examining the scene and collecting evidence to establish the motive and identify the assailant or assailants.Vinita ran Manraghi Inter College, which has around 15 teachers and employees. The couple lived about a kilometre from the school and had an only son, Abhyuday (20), who is studying at Delhi University.Mukesh had started his career as a Shiksha Mitra and became an assistant teacher in 2009. He had reportedly been serving as the teachers’ association president in the area since 2013.The couple had also been associated with the educational institution they established in the village in 2002.Vinita had previously contested a district panchayat election but lost. Police are investigating all possible angles, including personal, property and other disputes, before drawing any conclusions about the motive.
