‘UCLA shooter was unimpressive in class’

An Indian-American professor said Mainak Sarkar, who was behind the UCLA murder-suicide, left little impression as a student in his class and never used to greet him when they passed each other despite both hailing from West Bengal.

Professor Ajit Mal was in his University of California, Los Angeles, office Wednesday getting ready to teach his engineering class when IIT-Kharagpur alumni Mainak Sarkar shot and killed 39-year-old professor William Klug, who he had accused of stealing his computer code and giving it to someone else.

Mr. Mal praised another UCLA professor Christopher Lynch for his quick action that kept the 38-year-old UCLA gunman from escaping and potentially shooting more people.

Both Mr. Mal and Mr. Lynch were quoted by

The Los Angeles Times as saying that Sarkar’s allegation that Klug had stolen his computer code was groundless.

Mr. Lynch said all UCLA employees and graduate students sign over any intellectual property developed there to the university and, if it is subsequently licensed, enter royalty agreements to share in the profits.

Mr. Mal said Sarkar was quiet and reserved and would not even greet him when the two men passed each other, which the professor found somewhat odd since both hail from West Bengal and speak the same language. He also said it was likely that Klug never knew of Sarkar’s animosity toward him. If he had, Mal said, Klug would probably have consulted him for his Indian cultural insights. The two men were close as Mr. Mal had headed the search committee that hired Klug in 2003.

“This whole thing is so incredible and bizarre because Bill is the least likely to have some conflict with students. He was so very caring,” Mr. Mal said.