Khunti- A Catholic priest who runs a missionary school in Jharkhand’s Khunti district is fighting for his life after being shot by unidentified assailants, an attack that has left police scrambling to establish both a motive and a suspect.
Father Benedict Barla, principal of RC Boys Middle School and associated with St. Michael’s Cathedral, was found lying in a pool of blood on the school premises around 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday. He had been in the school office the previous night, according to preliminary information, though it is still unclear whether the attack happened overnight or in the early hours of the morning.
He was rushed to Khunti Sadar Hospital for first aid and, given his critical condition, referred to Ranchi. He is now being treated at Pulse Hospital.
The Khunti Superintendent of Police, the Sub-Divisional Police Officer and other personnel reached the spot after being informed. A team inspected the premises and gathered information as part of the preliminary investigation, and police have launched a full probe to establish the motive and identify those responsible.
Investigators are examining CCTV footage from the areas around the school and the roads leading to it, hoping to trace the suspects and piece together their movements before and after the attack.
What makes the case especially unsettling is the absence of any clear thread to pull. No motive has been established, no group has claimed responsibility, and police say they are looking at all possible angles. In a district where Christian institutions are woven into the social fabric, an unexplained attack on a school principal raises uncomfortable questions that the investigation will need to answer quickly.
It is also the second tragedy to touch the Catholic community in Khunti this year. On January 8, two Roman Catholic priests were killed and another injured when their car collided with a truck on the Ranchi-Simdega Main Road. The deceased were identified as Father Sushil Praveen Tiru and Father Sunil Bhengra, both residents of Dodma.
For now, the focus is on Father Barla’s recovery and on whether the CCTV trail yields anything. Until then, the attack remains as troubling for what it does not explain as for what it does.
-IANS