A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader was shot dead by unknown assailants in Uttar Pradesh's Maharajganj district on Tuesday. He has been identified as Gaurav Jaiswal, 35. He was the former secretary of BJP's youth wing. According to police, the assailants shot Jaiswal in the head and fled from the spot after committing the crime.
Jaiswal, who was a nephew of Maharajganj municipality (Nagar Palika) chairman Krishna Gopal Jaiswal, belonged to a reputed family. He was an active BJP worker and co-convenor of the party's cleanliness campaign.
His death has triggered panic in the area and as soon as the news spread, the markets closed on Tuesday in protest against the incident even as BJP workers demanded arrest of those involved in the crime.
Police said that one man has been arrested so far in connection with the crime. An FIR has also been lodged and further probe was underway.
Maharajganj Superintendent of Police (SP) Pradeep Gupta said that the crime was committed when Jaiswal was sitting at a Biryani shop near Chiuraha crossing under Sadar police circle. He said some eyewitnesses told the police that the assailants opened fire on Jaiswal after confronting him over some issue.
Jaiswal was immediately rushed to the district hospital where doctors declared him dead on arrival.
The SP said that the initial investigation revealed that Jaiswal was at his home when he received a call from an unknown caller after which he left the home. He said although Jaiswal's family members said he had no enmity or rivalry with anyone, the circumstances suggested that the murder was committed in a pre-planned way.
