Samastipur/Munger, May 22: The principal of a government school in Samastipur was bludgeoned to death this morning, the second such incident in as many days again raising concerns about law and order in a state where lynch-mentality is common.

Promod Kumar Jha (45), the principal of Navshrijit Prathmik Vidyalaya of Balirampur in Samastipur, was beaten mercilessly by a group of villagers from Rampur Ekshila with whom he had a running feud over land.

The chilling murder follows the lynching of Ashok Yadav (52), the headmaster of a government school in Munger, yesterday for refusing to cough up extortion money.

Jha, a resident of Hawashpur village, around 45km from the district headquarters, was popular among neighbouring villagers because he was involved in both teaching and also discharging duties of a priest in religious ceremonies.

Jha stayed in his house with his children and wife. He had a dispute with cousins Bidya Nand Konwar, Umakant Konwar and Satya Narayan Konwar over a piece of land that he claimed he had inherited.

When Jha was on his way to school on his two-wheeler around 6.30am, he was intercepted by some men from the adjoining village of Rampur Ekshila, around 1.5km away from his home. The group started thrashing him with bamboo sticks.

“We arranged an ambulance and he was rushed to the sadar hospital, where he was declared brought dead,” said station house officer of Ujjiarpur police station Kanhaiya Kumar Singh.

“We have instituted a case of murder against seven persons, among whom are Bidya Nand Konwar, Satya Narayan Konwar and Umakant Konwar,” he added.

Ganga Narayan Jha, a teacher and resident of Hawashpur village, said Jha had a land dispute with Bidya and Satya. But he did not elaborate what the dispute was all about.

Some villagers later went to the police station and demanded the immediate arrest of the accused. Nobody was arrested till the filing of the report.