A Class 4 student of a government school in Karnataka’s Gadag district died on Monday after he was beaten by a teacher and pushed off from a first floor balcony, reported NDTV.

The teacher, identified as Muthappa Yellapa Hadagali, taught at the Adarsh Primary School of Hadli village of the district, reported the The Times of India. The 45-year-old reportedly beat up the 10-year-old boy with a shovel. Muthappa also assaulted the boy’s mother, Geetha Barker, who is also a teacher at the school, and another colleague.

“The boy was killed and his mother was also seriously injured,” Superintendent of Police Shivprakash Devaraju told the media, reported the Hindustan Times. “Another teacher, Shivanand Patil also sustained minor injuries, and has been admitted to a local hospital.”

The accused person fled the area soon after assaulting the boy and the teachers.

The police have filed a first information report against Muthappa under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code.

“It is clear how the incident occurred but we don’t know the motive behind it yet,” Devaraju said. “We will get more information in a day or two.”

The chairperson of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, Priyank Kanoongo, said the incident shows a lack of sensitisation among teachers. “Such teachers are a threat to students,” he told ANI. “We’re sending notice to district administration to take appropriate action so that the guilty is punished.”

Monday’s attack comes days after a teacher in Delhi flung a Class 5 student from the first-floor window of her classroom. The student’s condition is reported to be stable while the teacher was booked for attempt to murder under Section 307 of the Indian Penal Code.