Rajasthan: Protests erupt after ex-BJP councillor's son allegedly killed in Chittorgarh

Protests erupted in Rajasthan's Chittorgarh after a former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) councillor's son was allegedly attacked and killed by unidentified assailants on Tuesday. The deceased is identified as Ratan, a resident of the Gandhinagar area of Chittorgarh city and the son of former BJP councillor Jagdish Soni. According to reports, Ratan was allegedly attacked at Shivaji Circle of the city late Tuesday night.

Widespread outrage broke out in the wake of Ratan's killing in the region as protesters assembled outside the Kotwali police station at Subhash Chowk of Chittorgarh. In addition, Chittorgarh MP Chandra Prakash Joshi and BJP MLA Chandrabhan Singh arrived in Kotwali and demanded the perpetrators be arrested. It is pertinent to mention here that the protesters led by Prakash Joshi and Chandrabhan Singh have called for a bandh in Chittorgarh till arrests are made. The city's markets remained shut as a result of the protests. 

Notably, the police became active after the incident and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) of Chittorgarh Preeti Jain reached Kotwali to inquire about the matter. "A person was killed last night around 10 pm after a scuffle broke out between two groups near a liquor shop. Police have registered an FIR against 3 people and 2 have been detained. We are investigating the matter," SSP Preeti Jain told ANI. 

Earlier, Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Kailash Sandhu, while speaking to ANI regarding the murder, said, "A youth named Ratan was attacked by some unknown people. He was sent to Udaipur for treatment. The attackers are yet to be ascertained. The investigation is underway."

Former BJP MLA's brother shot dead in Patna

In a related incident from Bihar, on Tuesday, two brothers of BJP MLA Chittaranjan Sharma were shot in the Patrakar Nagar police station area of ​​Patna. The 32-year-old Gautam Singh died on the spot while his elder brother Shambhu Singh has been hospitalised at a private hospital. It is learned that two miscreants on a bike came from behind and opened fire at them while they were heading home. 

Learning about the incident, police immediately rushed to the spot and currently, an investigation into the case is underway. While the family members of Gautam and Shambhu are alleging that Sanjay Singh, a resident of the village and Pandav gang chief is the mastermind behind the crime. There is an old rivalry going on between Chittaranjan Sharma, a former BJP MLA from Arwal, and Sanjay Singh and so the charge of murder is levelled at Sanjay Singh, the chief of Pandav Sena of Neema village. In early April, two members of Chittaranjan Sharma’s family were shot dead in Jehanabad and Masaudhi in Patna.