AMU murder case: ‘Revenge’ motive behind teacher’s killing, say police

• Police arrest Salman Quereshi for AMU teacher's murder in Aligarh
• Murder motive linked to 2018 case; victim suspected as police informer
• FIR filed; investigation ongoing for other suspects including Zubair

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Days after a 45-year-old teacher was shot dead on the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) campus, Uttar Pradesh Police on Thursday arrested a 32-year-old man in connection with the case.

The accused has been identified as Salman Quereshi, a resident of Aligarh. Police said the murder was carried out as an act of revenge, as the accused believed the teacher was an informer in an old murder case.

The victim, Rao Danish Ali, was a teacher at ABK School on the AMU campus. He was shot dead on December 24 while out for an evening walk with friends near the Maulana Azad Library canteen inside the university premises. He later died during treatment.

According to police, the motive for the murder dates back to a 2018 killing of a man named Azmat. In that case, some associates of Salman Quereshi were arrested and jailed. Police said Salman suspected that Rao Danish Ali had shared information with the police, leading to the arrests. Since then, Salman and his associates allegedly planned to kill the teacher.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Neeraj Jadaun said Salman lived in the same locality as the victim and knew him personally. “On December 23, Salman called his associates Fahad and Yasir, who are brothers and were staying in Delhi. They came to Aligarh with a pistol and stayed overnight at Salman’s house,” the SSP was quoted by ANI as saying.

On December 24, the plan was put into action. Police said the accused parked a scooter at a pre-decided location. Salman then drove Fahad and Yasir in his car and dropped them near Medical Road. From there, the two men went to the AMU campus.

The shooters intercepted Rao Danish Ali near the canteen and opened fire. After shooting him, they escaped on the scooter. Later, they abandoned the scooter at a secluded place and fled to Delhi along with Salman to avoid arrest, police said.

Police have also named Zubair, another associate of Salman and a person with a criminal history, as a prime suspect in the case. He is currently being investigated.

An FIR has been registered at the Civil Lines police station in Aligarh on the complaint of the victim’s brother, Dr Rao Faraz, under charges of murder and attempt to murder.

Rao Danish Ali is survived by his wife, two children and his parents, who also worked at AMU and are now retired.