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BJP leader shot dead in east UP’s Maharajganj district
Cops said unknown assailants shot Gaurav Jaiswal in the head and fled the spot after committing the crime
Former secretary of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s youth wing and lawyer Gaurav Jaiswal, 35, was allegedly shot dead by unknown assailants in east Uttar Pradesh’s Maharajganj district late on Monday night, said senior police officials here on Tuesday. They said the assailants shot Jaiswal in the head and fled the spot after committing the crime. A first information report (FIR) was lodged against the unknown assailants in connection with the crime and further probe was under way, they added.
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 party’s cleanliness campaign. His death has triggered panic in the area and the markets remained closed on Tuesday in protest against the incident even as BJP workers demanded arrest of those involved in the crime.
Maharajganj superintendent of police (SP) Pradeep Gupta said the crime was committed when Jaiswal was sitting at a Biryani shop near Chiuraha crossing under Sadar police station limits at around 11 pm. He said some eyewitnesses told the police that the assailants opened fire on Jaiswal after confronting him over some issue. He said Jaiswal was immediately rushed to the district hospital where doctors declared him dead on arrival.
The SP said 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.
Another senior official said a devoted team had been deployed to work out the case and trace the assailants. He said the police were scanning video footages of CCTVs installed at the liquor shop just opposite the Biryani shop where the crime was committed. Besides, a team of electronic surveillance experts was scanning mobile call details of Jaiswal to identity the unknown caller who called Jaiswal out of his home.
