The armed assailants, nearly a dozen, fired at 50-year-old Kailash Singh outside his home in village Ruhera in Datia and fled.
A local Congress leader was shot dead and his son critically injured by assailants at a village in Datia, Madhya Pradesh, a police official said on Monday.
Congress leader Kailash Singh died, while his son Kuldeep, who was with him during the shoot-out, suffered gunshot injuries and was referred to a hospital in Gwalior.(Representational Photo)
Police suspect political rivalry led to the fatal attack on Kailash Singh Sunday night.
The armed assailants, nearly a dozen, fired at the 50-year-old politician outside his home in village Ruhera under Deepar Police Station area and fled, said Mayank Awasthi, district superintendent of police.
Singh died, while his son Kuldeep, who was with him during the shoot-out, suffered gunshot injuries and was referred to Gwalior for treatment, he added.
Singh was the district vice-president of farmer wing of the Congress.
Awasthi said it seems old political rivalry between Singh and his opponents, which surfaced during the last village panchayat elections, resulted in the assault.
Police have booked 12 people, including village sarpanch Janak Singh for the attack and slapped murder and attempt to murder charges on them, the SP said.
Further investigations are underway, Awasthi said, adding police teams have raided several places in search of the absconding accused.