A former village head, known to be close to the newly elected BJP MP Smriti Irani, was shot dead in Baraulia village in Uttar Pradesh’s Amethi district on Sunday.
Surendra Singh was killed by the bike-borne assailants while he was sleeping outside his house.
Singh was taken to the district hospital from where he was referred to Lucknow. He succumbed to his injuries while on his way.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Amethi Rajesh Kumar said that some people have been detained in connection with the murder and further investigations are on.
Sources said that Singh had worked for Irani during the recently concluded general elections.
One suspect arrested
Suspects have been detained in connection with the murder of the BJP leader.
“We have detained some suspects in the case. We are getting more information and are acting on it,” Amethi’s Superintendent of Police Rajesh Kumar told reporters.
The police are looking into all aspects of the killing, including political rivalry.
“Since he had been a village chief, it seems to be a fallout of an old rivalry. We are not ruling out a political rivalry and are looking into all aspects of the case,” the police said.
