Samajwadi Party leader shot dead in Gorakhpur

A Samajwadi Party (SP) leader was shot dead in his home in Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur town by unidentified assailants, triggering demonstrations by party workers, police said today.

A Samajwadi Party (SP) leader was shot dead in his home in Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur town by unidentified assailants, triggering demonstrations by party workers, police said on Wednesday.

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Om Kumar Yadav, 55, a member of the Samajwadi Party district unit, was killed late on Tuesday inside his house in Jatepur locality. Yadav's family rushed him to a hospital where he later died.

Police are yet to trace the assailants.

"Till now, we have not able to establish the motive behind the crime. Investigations are being carried out to identify the assailants," police inspector A K Shahi told reporters in Gorakhpur, about 300 km from Lucknow.

"The SP leader died of bullet injuries in his head," he added.

The murder sparked protests by a large number of Samajwadi Party activists, who Wednesday carried out demonstrations in parts of Gorakhpur demanding the arrest of those behind the killing.