2 accused of killing MP’s local BJP leader sustain gunshot injuries in encounter

Katni DIG Atul Singh said the two fired at a police team that tracked them down to the Kajarwara area of the district and sustained injuries in a brief encounter

Updated on: Oct 29, 2025, 16:33:18 IST

By Shruti Tomar

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BHOPAL: Two men accused of killing a local Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader in central Madhya Pradesh’s Katni district were arrested on Wednesday after a brief encounter, police said.

hands of a prisoner on prison bars (Getty Images/Vetta)

Katni deputy inspector general of police Atul Singh said a police team tracked down the two suspects, Prince Joseph (30) and Akram Khan (33), to the district’s Kajarwara area, where they were hiding after opening fire at local BJP leader Nilesh Rajak on Tuesday.

When the police reached the spot, the accused fired on them, said Singh. The team retaliated, shooting at them. The suspects sustained injuries to their hands and legs and are being treated at the Jabalpur medical college. Their condition is stated to be stable.

Singh said the two fired six shots at Nilesh Rajak when he was going to the market on his motorcycle. The incident was captured on a nearby CCTV camera and was used to track down the accused.

Rajak died on the spot.

Singh said the murder was linked to a recent altercation between Rajak and Akram Khan over a parking issue at DAV School, which led both sides to file police complaints against each other at the Vijayraghogarh police station.

Police said Rajak’s family has claimed that more people were involved in the attack.

Chief minister Mohan Yadav had condoled Rajak’s death and ordered the police officers concerned to take strict action against the accused.

Joseph’s 56-year-old father died by suicide at home on Tuesday evening, hours after the police named him as the prime accused in the local BJP leader’s murder case.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shruti Tomar
I have spent over a decade chronicling Madhya Pradesh’s political and social landscape, covering politics, investigative journalism, crime, human interest, and government policy, blending sharp insight with ground‑level depth. I have closely tracked three assembly elections, three Lok Sabha elections, leadership transitions in MP while exposing governance lapses, tender irregularities, and flawed policy rollouts. My reports have revealed gaps in the Cheetah project, irregularities in medical education, rigging in recruitment exams, and loopholes in policy implementation. In crime reporting, I have moved beyond FIRs to map systemic patterns — from organised crime networks and gender‑based violence to custodial accountability — balancing urgency with sensitivity. My journalism is defined by a commitment to human interest. I have profiled the marginalised Bancchda community, documented atrocities against tribal groups, and highlighted efforts to preserve their culture through heritage liquor and revival of spiritual practices. I have reported on farmers struggling with failed MSP promises, giving voice to those often reduced to statistics in policy files. Passionate about field reporting, I have reported on rampant sand mining in Chambal and Narmada, pharmaceutical companies supplying medicines under altered names, the dire condition of schools and colleges, the plight of commercial sex workers, and skewed sex ratios in specific districts. Beyond deadlines, and as HT’s state correspondent and assistant editor in Madhya Pradesh, I engage with ministers, farmers, students, and activists, believing the best policy stories begin with a single human voice. A postgraduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, I also hold a diploma in sports journalism.Read More

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