MP: Man who threw acid on BJP leader Murlidhar Kabra held

With the arrest of a person on Friday, Ujjain police claimed to have solved the case, in which two persons had thrown acid on BJP leader Murlidhar Kabra at his residence on Januray 12.

With the arrest of a person on Friday, Ujjain police claimed to have solved the case, in which two persons had thrown acid on BJP leader Murlidhar Kabra at his residence on Januray 12. The police identified the arrested person as Devnarayan Upadhyay.

Accused-Devnarayan-Upadhyay-in-the-custody-of-Ujjain-police-Sunil-Magariya-HT-photo

The BJP leader wanted to occupy the house which he had purchased from Upadhyay, but the latter was not vacating the house making excuses, the police said.

When Kabra mounted pressure on him, the accused hired another city resident, Jitendra Balai, for Rs 15,000 to throw acid on Kabra, the police added. Jitendra is still absconding. The cops are looking out for him.

This is the first case of its kind in the state in which a political leader has been attacked with acid. Kabra is the general secretary of Ujjain unit of the party.

Soon after the attack, Kabra was rushed to the district hospital, where he and his wife Anita were admitted to the intensive care unit and his septuagenarian mother Sharda and daughter Shagun discharged after first aid. The acid attack has damaged the cornea of Kabra’s eye.

City superintendent of police Nitesh Bhargava said that Kabra had purchased a house at Bank Colony from Upadhyay by paying Rs 13 lakh.

The BJP leader was pressurising Upadhyay to hand over the house since December 20, 2014, but the latter was delaying the hand over. Finally, Kabra gave Upadhyay an ultimatum to vacate the house by January 14 this year, which he refused.