Police said Abebe Chane, 45, committed suicide but residents rejected the allegation as baseless. They said the teacher was murdered by security men.
The teacher was killed on February 26 when he was on his way to a teachers meeting of a nearby rural school.
A graduate of Bahir Dar University with a degree in history, the teacher was very popular among his students. The teachers voted him as their chapter’s chairman.
Prior to his death, the teacher, who was known for being critical of the government, was forced by the security to own a gun. “Arming the teacher with a gun and against his wish was a police prelude to murder the teacher and say he took his own life,” a source said.
Political murders committed by the government largely remain unreported in Ethiopia because the only available media are owned by the government.
