In a horrific incident, a gang of armed assailants shot dead a teacher, his wife and two young children at their rented home in Uttar Pradesh's Amethi on Thursday.
The incident has sent shock waves through the state with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath promising strict action against the perpetrators.
According to reports, the assailants barged into the house of Sunil Kumar (35)—an assistant teacher at the Composite School in Panhauna—at Bhawani Nagar crossroads and opened fire at him, his wife and two children, aged 5 and 2. All the four were rushed to hospital where doctors declared them brought dead.
According to police, the incident did not appear to be a case of robbery.
"The school teacher had filed a case against some Chandan Verma around August 18 in connection with commission of offences under the SC/ST Act. We are investigating if that is a possible reason for this," Anup Singh, a senior police officer, told NDTV.
Reports said that the family was living in the rented house for the past three months.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed condolences over the incident and directed police to take strict action against the perpetrators.
"The incident that happened today in Amethi district is highly condemnable and unforgivable. My condolences are with the bereaved family. In this time of sorrow, @UPGovt stands with the victim's family. The culprits of this incident will not be spared at any cost and the strictest legal action will be taken against them," the chief minister said in a post.