Right-wing Leader Shot Dead in Lucknow
LUCKNOW : Right-wing leader Ranjeet Bachchan was shot dead by bike-borne assailants in Hazratganj area of Lucknow Sunday morning when he was out on morning walk with one of his friends. Ranjit Bachchan, chief of Vishwa Hindu Mahasabha, was attacked by bike-borne assailants at Hazratganj, the city’s busy commercial area.
Bachchan, who was earlier associated with Samajwadi Party, was running his own outfit called Vishwa Hindu Mahasabha.
Police officials have reached the spot and all angles of murder are being investigated.
Bachchan was on morning walk at the Globe Park in Hazratganj with his friend Ashish Srivasatava when the incident took place at around 6:30 am. The assailants reportedly shot at Bachchan from a close range killing him instantly, while Srivastava also sustained injuries in the attack. He was immediately rushed to a hospital for treatment.
Bachchan, who hailed from Gorakhpur, had reportedly a disturbed family life and was not living with his wife. The police are tracking his phone records and also examining the CCTV footage to crack the case and ascertain the identity of the killers.
His cousin Aditya Srivastav, who was accompanying him, said one of the men snatched their cellphones and fired multiple rounds at them. Ranjit Bachchan received bullet injuries on his head and died on the spot. Aditya Srivastav sustained a bullet injury on his hand.
A .32 bore pistol, built in Bihar’s Munger, was recovered from the spot, the police said. This was the second time a right-wing leader was killed in Lucknow in the recent months. In October, Kamlesh Tiwari, president of the Hindu Samaj Party, was attacked while at home. He was shot in the face and stabbed 15 times and died on the way to hospital.
The men had called on him with a box of sweets for Diwali and attacked him when he invited them in. Two men — Ashfaq Hussain (34) and Moinuddin Pathan (27) — were arrested and they have confessed to the murder, the police said.
The men, who were from Surat in Gujarat, allegedly killed the Hindu group leader over statements he apparently made against Prophet Mohammad in the past, the police said.
(Bureau Report with Agency Inputs ).
