Lucknow, Dec 3 (IANS) A teacher in a government school in Uttar Pradesh was Friday found hanging from a ceiling fan inside a classroom, police said.

Pannalal Shukla, headmaster of the Yakootganj Junior High School, appeared to have committed suicide, police inspector V.K. Mishra told reporters in Farrukhabad, about 200 km from here.

‘Though the exact reason of death would be ascertained in the post-mortem report, going by the preliminary investigations it appears to be a case of suicide,’ Mishra said.

‘We have been told by the school staff that for the last few weeks Pannalal preferred to remain aloof. He appeared to be depressed,’ he said.

Police said Shukla went home after school Thursday but returned in the night.

The suicide was detected after school students and teachers found the classroom locked from inside. Police personnel were called and the door was broken. They found Shukla hanging from the ceiling fan with a muffler, officials said.