Local BJP leader shot dead in UP's Gorakhpur; 3 detained

Gorakhpur: A 52-year-old local BJP leader, a contestant in the panchayat elections in Narayanpur in Uttar Pradesh, was shot dead while he was returning home after attending a public meeting, police said on Saturday.

Three people were detained following the killing of Brijesh Singh on Friday night in the Moglaha area. The fourth accused is at large, they said.

Singh was shot around 11 pm and was rushed to the BRD Medical College, where doctors declared him dead, police said.

Based on a complaint from Singh's family members, a case was registered at the Gulriha police station and Sunil Srivastav, Vinay Srivastav and Ramsamujh were detained on Saturday, they said, adding that teams have been formed to nab Pawan Srivastav.

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Panchayat elections will be held across Uttar Pradesh in four phases on April 15, April 19, April 26 and April 29. Counting of votes will be done on May 2.

On the probe into the case, Gorakhpur Senior Superintendent of Police Dinesh Kumar P on Saturday said, "It is very early to say anything, but police have started investigating the matter and are collecting clues, and very soon the case will be solved."

The officer also said that there are no previous instances of Singh filing a complaint against those detained.

Singh had suffered bullet injuries to his head and chest, police said.

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Singh was the sector in-charge of the BJP and also a former village head of Narayanpur. He was contesting the elections for the post of village head as the seat was declared unreserved this year.

Following the killing, the BJP leaders family members and relatives staged a protest, demanding the immediate arrest of the assailants.(PTI)

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