Lawyer shot dead in broad daylight in Allahabad
Two unidentified bike-borne assailants shot dead a district court lawyer in Allahabad on Thursday morning, sending shockwaves through the city as lawyers staged protests demanding the arrest of the culprits.
The lawyer, Rajesh Srivastava was shot near the busy Manmohan Park crossing in heart of the city under Colonelganj police station area, a little after he left home at Rambah locality around 10 am, police said.
He was rushed to the SRN Hospital but doctors declared him dead on arrival, they said.
The assailants managed to flee the spot unchallenged after shooting the lawyer in the head from close range.
Police have launched a hunt for the culprits, Allahabad SSP, Akash Kulhary said.
Prima facie, police believe that the shooting is a fallout of a dispute with a small hotel owner of Srivastava’s locality and are probing the angle.
Lawyers from the district court, which is hardly a kilometre from the shooting spot, assembled in large numbers and staged a demonstration and blocked MG Marg near the MLN Medical College crossing in protest against the incident, with the body of the lawyer.
The lawyers stopped work in the district court and staged a road block on the busy Kutchery road too.
They also went on a rampage and set fire to a city bus near the district magistrate’s office. Shops in the Kutchery road and the Katra market downed shutters fearing more trouble.
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath announced a solatium of ₹20 lakh to the family of Srivastava. and directed chief secretary Rajive Kumar and director general of police OP Singh to conduct a probe into the incident and submit a report within 24 hours.
The incident happened at a time when the UP chief secretary Rajive Kumar, principal secretary (home) Arvind Kumar and UP DGP OP Singh are in the city to review preparations and works for the forthcoming mega religious congregation of Kumbh 2019.
