Uttar Pradesh: BJP leader shot dead by bike-borne men
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Suresh Verma was shot dead by two bike-borne men in Uttar Pradesh's Ballia district on Thursday night while returning home after getting bail for one of his aides, the police confirmed. Verma was reportedly riding pillion with his associate, Dev Kumar, who was riding the bike at the time of the incident.
Two nabbed by cops in Suresh Verma murder case
According to the news agency ANI, Kumar revealed that they were approached by two individuals on a bike from behind and suddenly began firing at him and Verma. Meanwhile, Ballia Superintendent of Police (SP) Rajakaran Nayyar confirmed that a case had been filed against three suspects. Nayyar also revealed that two people have been taken into custody so far and are being interrogated.
Probe underway to arrest all accused: Nayyar
Furthermore, the Ballia SP also revealed that adequate squads had been put together, and officials have been told to look out for the attackers involved in the BJP leader's killing. "A case has been registered against three people and two people have been taken into custody and are being interrogated," Nayyar was quoted as saying by ANI.
Recent incidents of attacks on BJP leaders
The killing of Verma comes a few days after another local BJP leader was similarly shot dead on February 11 in Chhattisgarh's Narayanpur. Sagar Sahu, vice president of the BJP in Narayanput district, was reportedly attacked by two unknown individuals in Narayanpur. A probe is underway to determine if the incident was carried out by the Naxals or other anti-social entities in those parts.
Accused men used AK47 to kill Sahu: Narayanpur SP
According to the preliminary investigation, two anonymous men arrived at Sahu's house at around 8:00 pm on a bike and shot him dead on the spot using an AK47, Narayanpur Superintendent of Police Pushkar Sharma said. As per reports, the BJP leader was then rushed to the nearby district hospital, where he died due to his injuries.
Police recovered two rounds of empty casings from crime scene
The police official also revealed that the police recovered two rounds of empty casings from the crime scene. "Around 8:00 pm, two people came in a bike, entered Sagar Sahu's residence and opened fire on him," the Narayanpur SP said. "No such information about the victim being threatened by Naxalites was received recently," he added.
