Azamgarh (Uttar Pradesh), Dec 2 (IANS): Bike-borne assailants shot dead the headmaster of a school in the Jiyanpur Kotwali area of Azamgarh district.

Sanjay Yadav, 46, was a resident of Kasada Ima village, and was posted as headmaster at the composite school at Akhaipur in the Haraiya block.

The assailants opened fire at Yadav near a brick kiln and fled from the spot.

Hearing the gunshot, locals working in a nearby field raised an alarm. They took the injured headmaster to a private trauma centre in the city, where he succumbed to injuries while undergoing treatment.

A police team led by Azamgarh Superintendent of Police, Anurag Arya, went to the spot for investigation.

The SP said they have identified the killers and have started a manhunt to arrest them. He said preliminary investigation suggested that the murder was a fallout of a rivalry in the panchayat elections.

"The accused also have a criminal history. Police will take action against them under the Gangster Act and confiscate their property," the SP said.