A leader of the Samajwadi Party was shot dead in Jaunpur by bike-borne assailants on Friday morning, while another was shot dead in Noida in the afternoon, adding to the list of murders of people linked to political parties in Uttar Pradesh after the declaration of the Lok Sabha election results.
The police said Lalji Yadav, 45, was shot at by masked men while he was on his way to Jaunpur city. He was declared dead at a local hospital.
Jaunpur ASP (Rural) Sanjay Rai said Yadav had parked his vehicle on the roadside and was “talking to someone when three people came on a bike and opened fire at him.”
Former Jaunpur Samajwadi Party MP Paras Nath Yadav told the media that the party, and in particular Yadavs were being targeted in U.P. just days after the BJP government regained power. Yadav, who was a contractor, had contested the last Zilla Panchayat election unsuccessfully.
In the afternoon, Ramteg Kataria was shot dead outside his house at Dadri in Noida while he was overseeing construction work. Noida SSP Vaibhav Krishna said it was a case of personal enmity and stressed there was “no political angle.”
Rajendra Chaudhary, SP spokesperson, said following directions by party president Akhilesh Yadav, senior SP leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Ramgovind Chowdhary had been deputed to investigate the matter.
Mr. Akhilesh Yadav is himself expected to go to Ghazipur on June 3 to meet the family of Vijay Yadav, a Zilla Panchayat member who was shot dead on May 24 by unidentified persons.
Several other such incidents have been reported since May 23.
On Tuesday, Bahujan Samaj Party leader Haii Ehsan and his nephew were shot dead at their office in Najibabad town of Bijnor district in west U.P. In a separate incident, former SP MP from Bulandshahr Kamlesh Valmiki was found dead at his residence in Khurja on Monday under suspicious circumstances. The police said he was poisoned.
Last Sunday, a former pradhan considered close to newly elected MP of Amethi Smriti Irani was shot dead by unidentified assailants. Surendra Singh had actively campaigned for Ms. Irani.
