Varanasi: Rajeev Singh, a 50-year-old lawyer and former gram pradhan, was shot dead by two bike-borne attackers in Mirzapur’s Katwaru ka Pura area on Saturday while returning from a morning walk.
His wife is the current gram pradhan of Devri village.The shooting was caught on CCTV, helping police to identify the accused. Singh’s family and locals protested his killing, citing his prior complaint about receiving death threats and seeking security. His supporters and locals blocked the road and police had to work hard to convince them to call off their stir.Mirzapur SP Aparna Rajat Kaushik said that the attack appears to be linked to a local dispute, based on initial investigation.
An FIR has been filed, and teams are working to arrest the killers.Addressing allegations that police ignored Singh’s security plea, Kaushik assured a thorough probe, saying “no guilty will be spared”.As part of his daily routine, Singh returned home after a morning walk in Sadbhavana Nagar of Katwaru Ka Pura, where he lived with his family. The CCTV footage showed two people on a motorcycle raiding the place. One miscreant stayed on the motorcycle, while another, in white pants and shirt, approached Singh and opened fire with a firearm that appeared to be a country-made handgun.
The attackers fled after Singh was shot, but villagers gave chase. The accomplice turned the gun on them, forcing them to back off, and the duo escaped.The villagers rushed Singh to the divisional hospital, where the doctor declared him dead. Police collected evidence from the spot and sent the body for a post-mortem, while the SP and other senior officials reached the spot.
