Ex-BSP leader killed days after joining Congress, BSP MLA’s husband booked
A former Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader in Madhya Pradesh’s Bundelkhand region, who joined Congress a couple of days back, was murdered and his son critically injured on Friday.
A former Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader in Madhya Pradesh’s Bundelkhand region, who joined Congress a couple of days back in the presence of chief minister Kamal Nath, was murdered and his son critically injured on Friday after a group of people attacked them with iron rods and baseball bats.
A BSP MLA’s husband, her brother-in-law and two other relatives have been named among the accused in the FIR lodged by the brother of the deceased, police said.
The murder led to tension in Damoh district and a heavy police force was deployed in the town and shops shut.
Deputy inspector general (DIG) of police, Sagar, Deepak Verma, Damoh superintendent of police RS Belvanshi, and collector Neeraj Singh rushed to Hata tehsil in the district.
The murder may give further political ammunition to the BJP in Madhya Pradesh ahead of the Lok Sabha polls as Kamal Nath government is already under fire from the opposition over a number of kidnappings and murders in the state in its three months rule so far.
Hata police station officer Dharmendra Singh said, “Congress leader Devendra Chourasiya, his son Somesh, brother Mahesh, Ashok and nephew Animesh reached their bitumen plant at Dhori Kheda village on Friday. Devendra and his son were at the main gate while others had gone to open the office when half a dozen men armed with iron rods and baseball bats attacked them. By the time the family members came to their rescue, the accused had fled the spot.”
“An FIR has been lodged against Govind Singh (husband of BSP MLA from Pathariya constituency Rambai Parihar), Chandu Singh (Govind’s brother), Golu Singh (Rambai’s nephew), Lokesh Singh (Rambai’s brother), Indrapal Patel (son of district panchayat president Shivcharan Patel and BJP leader), Amjad and others for murder and other charges. All the accused are absconding,” he said.
As per police sources, Govind Singh and his brother were sentenced to life imprisonment in connection with a triple murder and were out on bail for the past one year.
According to police, Mahesh Chourasiya, brother of the deceased, said that the attack was due to political enmity.
According to police sources, Devendra had apprised the CM about his security and was assured the same.
Demanding a high-level inquiry into the incident, BSP MLA Rambai Parihar said, “My husband and relatives are innocent. A high-level inquiry into the incident will make it all clear. They have been implicated in the crime as our political stature was rising by the day.”
Rambai Parihar who is a first timer in the state assembly has been in the news over her threat to the Congress government to face a Karnataka-like situation if she was not made a minister. She allegedly misbehaved with government employees on certain occasions and video clippings of the same have gone viral on social media.