VHP man in MP shot dead by rival group: Police

A case of murder has been registered against ten people on the basis of a complaint filed by the victim’s brother.

A 35-year-old VHP leader was shot dead near Pipariya town in Madhya Pradesh’s Hoshangabad district on Friday in what the police believe is a case of rivalry between two groups.

Ravi Vishwakarma, a district gauraksha (cow protection) chief, was returning to Pipariya from Hoshangabad with two friends when his car was stopped by a group of men carrying iron rods, sticks and firearms. A video shot by a passerby showed the assailants damaging his car, firing at him, dragging him out of the car and beating him, even as they allowed the two other occupants in the car to escape.

A case of murder has been registered against ten people on the basis of a complaint filed by the victim’s brother. Hoshangabad SP Santosh Singh Gaur told The Indian Express a dozen cases, including murder and attempted murder, had been lodged against the victim. The assailants, too, had cases registered against them.

Gaur said the killing was an outcome of battle for control in the Pipariya mandi where lakhs of tonnes of grains are traded every year. During auction and weighing, a small portion of grains is left on the floor and accumulates into a substantial quantity.