Tension gripped the Katni district of Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday following the daylight murder of a Bajrang Dal functionary, an event which took a tragic new turn with the suspected suicide of a suspect’s father hours later.
Nilesh Rajak, 35, a former ‘gau seva pramukh’ (cow protection chief) for the Bajrang Dal's Katni unit, was shot dead by two unidentified assailants in the Kaimor police station area. The incident occurred around 10.30 am as Rajak was standing near a bank.
According to eyewitnesses cited in a TOI report, two masked men on a motorcycle fired five to six rounds at close range, striking Rajak in the chest and head, before speeding away from the scene. Locals rushed the severely injured man to Vijayraghavgarh Hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival.
The brazen killing sparked immediate panic in the locality, prompting a swift response from police teams and senior officers. Forensic experts were dispatched to collect evidence, including spent bullet casings and tyre marks, while CCTV footage from nearby shops was seized in an effort to identify the perpetrators.
In a dramatic development, the father of one of the men suspected of carrying out the shooting allegedly died by suicide a few hours later. Reports indicate he took his own life after learning his son could be linked to the murder.
Sources further told TOI that the suspect's mother also attempted to end her life by consuming a poisonous substance, though this could not be independently confirmed.
Providing a potential motive for the attack, Jabalpur Inspector General Pramod Verma was quoted by TOI as saying, "According to primary findings, nearly a month ago, there was some dispute between the suspects and the deceased, which possibly had something to do with the murder." He confirmed that multiple police teams have been deployed to apprehend the suspects.
In the wake of the killing, the local Kaimor police station in-charge and a head constable were removed from active duty, a move that underscores the seriousness with which authorities are treating the case and its fallout.
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