E-Paper
MP: Woman Cong leader shot at, curfew in Ratlam
Tension prevails in Ratlam town and curfew has been clamped after two bike-borne assailants opened fire on state woman Congress leader and local corporator Yasmin Sherani leaving her seriously injured. Two others died in the incident.
A Bajrang Dal activist and his domestic help were shot dead in the heart of Ratlam by unidentified assailants on Saturday in a suspected retaliatory attack, barely a couple of hours after a Congress leader was shot at, also by yet-to-be indentified gunmen.
The Bajrang Dal activist's brother was also injured in the attack.
Following the incidents and subsequent unrest in some parts of Ratlam, the administration clamped curfew in the communally-sensitive township, around 120 km from Indore in Madhya Pradesh.
The town has a history of communal disturbances.
Police said that the Madhya Pradesh woman Congress vice-president and corporator Yasmin Sherani (50) was shot at by two unidentified assailants near the Ratlam municipal corporation (RMC) office when she was about to step into her vehicle at around 12.30pm.
Police said quoting eye-witnesses that the corporator was shot at by two unidentified assailants on the neck.
The profusely-bleeding Congress leader was first rushed to a local government hospital from where she was referred to the Bombay Hospital, Indore.
As news of the attack on Sherani spread, a large number of her supporters started to forcibly shut down nearby markets.
Police had to resort to lathi-charge to disperse the mob.
Even as this exercise was going on, four unidentified assailants on two motorcycles pumped several bullets into Kapil Rathore (33), the Ratlam unit joint-convenor of Bajrang Dal, outside a hotel.
His younger brother Deepak (28) and their domestic help Gowardhan (40) also received bullet injuries.
Kapil and Gowardhan died at the Ratlam district hospital while Deepak was rushed to Indore.
Soon after police clamped curfew amidst reports of stone-pelting from several parts of the town.
Ratlam superintendent of police Ashis said the situation was tense but under control.
Police have stepped up patrolling throughout the city and advised people to stay put inside their homes.
Meanwhile, Yasmin’s condition was said to be stable at the Bombay Hospital, where she was being treated.
"The bullet hit her on the right side of the neck and passed through the jaw," medical superintendent of the hospital Dilip Singh Chouhan said.
Initially, Deepak was also brought to Bombay Hospital but was later taken to CHL Apollo Hospital as the administration feared that supporters of Yasmin and Deepak might clash if they came face to face in the hospital.
