Gadag horror: After boy’s murder, mother succumbs to injuries

Mangalore Today News Network

Gadag, Dec 23, 2022: Hadli village in Gadag district, where a teacher killed a student by throwing him off the first floor of the school building on Monday, was enveloped in a pall of gloom as Geeta Barker (36), who was the deceased student’s mother and a teacher at the same school, died on Thursday afternoon at Karnataka Instituite of Medical Sciences (KIMS) Hospital in Hubballi. Geeta had suffered critical injuries after a guest teacher, Muttappa Hadagali, attacked her and her son Bharat with a spade.

 

She was on ventilator support over the last four days and was declared dead in the afternoon. As the news of her death spread, hundreds of villagers gathered at KIMS Hospital. They said Geeta’s family has been suffering a series of unfortunate incidents over the last few years. Two years ago, her husband Yallappa met with a road accident and has been mentally and physically ill.

On Monday, she lost her only son Bharat. Now, her daughter, Amruta, who is studying in Standard 6 at Navodaya Institution at Gadag town, has to be taken care of by her mother-in-law Lakshmavva. Lakshmavva said, “I have lost my grandson and daughter-in-law because of that cruel teacher. Bharat was an innocent child. God has delivered a great deal of injustice. Half of our family is gone now.” Somanath Yavgal, a neighbour of Gita, said, “Both Lakshmavva and Geeta’s mother Ratnakka are in shock. Yallappa and Geeta got married 15 years ago.”

It is said that the accused, Muttappa, who was attracted to Geeta, was angry that she was close to another teacher in the school. Muttappa and Geeta had had several arguments and even on the day before the attack, he had allegedly threatened to harm her. But she ignored the threat as it was not the first time he was doing so and came to the school on Monday.

Muttappa was allegedly angry that Geeta was interacting with the other teacher during a school excursion recently and had a fight with Geeta over it. He wanted to call Geeta, but instead went to Bharat’s classroom. Muttappa asked the boy to come out of his bench and started hitting him. Geeta, who was in the next class, heard her son’s cries and came to his rescue.

But Muttappa hit her and Bharat with a shovel and threw the 10-year-old boy down from the first floor. Bharat and Geeta were rushed to the taluk hospital and from there to KIMS , Hubballi, where Bharat was declared brought dead. The police, in quick action, arrested Muttappa on Tuesday.

Courtesy: Indian Express