The incident took place Friday in Bakna Khurd village in Surguja district, some 380 km from state capital Raipur.

The man, Suman Ram, entered the government primary school brandishing a 'basula' at around 11 a.m. and started chasing students.

"All the students fled, but Nohar, the only son of Gaya Prasad, was caught by Suman. The man repeatedly hit the six-year-old on his neck and body. He died on the spot. After the murder, the accused tried to run away but was caught and later handed over to the police," Madhulika Singh, a police officer probing the murder case, told IANS over phone from Ambikapur, headquarters of Surguja.

"Nohar's family has no enmity with Suman Ram. Dozens of students who were witness to the tragic incident are shaken," the officer said.Suman is being interrogated to find out the reason for the attack, she said.