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College principal dies after shooting outside Muzaffarabad campus

Police say Hamza Ahmed Dar was shot outside his college and later died during treatment

By Arif Urfi
May 22, 2026
A representational image of a police tape wrapped on a tree at a crime scene. — AFP/File
A representational image of a police tape wrapped on a tree at a crime scene. — AFP/File

A private college principal died during treatment on Friday after being critically injured in a shooting outside his campus in the Gojra area of Muzaffarabad in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, police said.

According to police, Hamza Ahmed Dar was shot outside the college a day earlier and had been shifted to hospital in critical condition.

Officials said he sustained three bullet wounds to the head.

Police said the incident occurred when the principal came out of his office, after which the attacker opened fire outside the college premises. 

A college watchman also confirmed the sequence of events in his statement to investigators.

The suspect was arrested while attempting to flee from the scene and was taken into custody along with the weapon used in the attack, police added.

Investigators said the detained attacker was a resident of Wah Cantt and had been staying at a hotel near the college since Sunday.

Police further said initial investigations suggest the attacker acted alone and that no accomplice has been identified so far. 

Authorities said further investigation into the incident was underway.