A spine-chilling visual of the murder of a local Samajwadi Party politician and his son – being shot dead by two men at close range in a field in western Uttar Pradesh – has left us speechless.
This grievous act took place today in a village in Sambhal district, 379 km from state capital Lucknow and 187 km from Delhi after a heated argument over a road being built under the MNREGA scheme.
Samajwadi Party leader Chote Lal Diwakar and his son Sunil had gone for inspection of a road which cuts across a field in the village. In the middle of the field, they broke into an argument with two other men from the same village. The two other men were carrying rifles. One of them is a local strongman, identified as Savinder.
“Goli chala (open fire),” a man can be heard saying even as some others can be heard trying to calm the two agitated men in the 2 minute, 30 second video clip. Seconds later, the two men walk back, aim their gun at the politician and his son, opening fire at them.
The video ends abruptly with shaky visuals. In it, one of the men shot at is seen lying on the field in a pool of blood. These men who shot the father and son were agitated with the fact that the road being constructed under the MNREGA scheme was infringing on their fields.
The two men shot Chote Lal Diwakar and his son. They were found dead on spot.
The police say they will make arrests soon. “One of the men shooting has been identified as a local strongman. We have picked up some people and are interrogating them. We hope to arrest the accused soon,” said Yamuna Prasad, a senior police official in Sambhal.
The Samajwadi Party’s district president, Firoz Khan, said that Chote Lal Diwakar, was the party’s candidate for the assembly election in 2017. However, he did not fight the polls as the seat went to the coalition party. He also blamed local goons of the area for the murder.