UP law & order nosedives as BJP leader shot dead in Firozabad

In yet another sign of worsening law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh, a BJP leader, Dayashankar Gupta, was shot dead last night (October 16) allegedly by three bike-borne attackers in Firozabad district.

The BJP leader’s colleague, Viresh Tomar, and two of Tomar’s uncles, Narendra Tomar and Devendra Tomar, have been detained in the murder case after Gupta’s family named them and alleged political enmity.

Police sources said Dayashankar Gupta, who was the Mandal vice president, was leaving after closing his shop when he was attacked at a local market. He was rushed to a hospital.

Viresh Tomar had recently joined the BJP, locals said, adding that Gupta was not happy with this.

“Viresh Tomar recently had a heated exchange with Dayashankar on Facebook. Viresh Tomar’s uncle had earlier contested the local village body election from Ratigarhi village in Firozabad against Dayashanker, and he had won the election,” police officer A Satish Ganesh said.

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Soon after the killing, a protest by some family members and supporters broke out near the hospital where Gupta was rushed as they demanded arrest of the accused. Some protesters also tried to block a road in Agra.

“Some unknown men targeted the BJP leader in the marketplace. We are carrying out a probe. We talked to the protesters to calm them down. We hope for a breakthrough soon,” police officer Mukesh Kumar Mishra said.

“The family members have given the name of some suspects. We are conducting a probe,” Shachindranath Nath Patel, another cop, said.

A video showed policemen talking to those protesting the killing. Visuals also showed the cops trying to clear up the roads.

This is the second incident allegedly involving BJP leaders brazenly fighting it out. On Wednesday, one person died in Ballia after a person said to be close to a local BJP leader opened fire in front of top district officials and the police.

That incident resulted in suspension of the local Sub-divisional Magistrate, Circle Officer and other police personnel.