A 31-year-old who taught in a private coaching centre was shot dead on Monday, the unidentified masked assassin opening fire as the young man was about to enter the north-west Delhi institute in Jahangirpuri for morning classes.

Police said initial investigations pointed to personal rivalry behind the murder of Ankit Kumar Garg but his family members claimed the assailant was the brother of a girl the teacher had wanted to marry.

“The exact motive behind the killing is not clear and the preliminary investigation has suggested personal rivalry behind the murder. The family of the deceased has alleged that the killing was the fallout of Ankit’s relationship with a girl,” Aslam Khan, deputy commissioner of police, said.

“The family’s allegation is still not confirmed. So far it points to personal rivalry but the motive is still not clear.”

The family members alleged that Ankit and the girl had planned to get married but the girl’s family members were opposed to their relationship on religious grounds.

Eyewitnesses told the police the incident took place around 8.30am when Ankit was about to enter the coaching centre. “He was shot in his head by a masked gunman who was probably waiting near the gate of the institute. The assailant fled with his two associates who had come with him. The body of the deceased has been handed over to his family,” a police official said.

Local resident Charanjeet Kaur said she heard a loud sound and came out of her home only to see Ankit lying near the gate of the institute. “Initially I thought he had got electrocuted but when I reached near I found he was bleeding profusely from his head,” she said.

Ankit, who taught history and political science at the coaching centre to students of Classes X and XI, had left his home in the neighbourhood at 7.45am. Sources said the police were questioning members of the girl’s family.

In February this year Ankit Saxena, 23, a freelance wedding photographer, was murdered by the relatives of a 20-year-old woman he was courting as they were opposed to the inter-faith relationship.