- The police are searching for the shooters with the help of CCTV footage and have blockaded the area to nab the accused
NE NEWS SERVICE
VALSAD, MAY 8
A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader was shot dead in broad daylight allegedly by unidentified persons while returning with his family after offering prayers at a temple near Vapi town in Gujarat’s Valsad district, police said.
Shailesh Patel, vice-president of the BJP in Vapi’s Raata village, was returning from a temple when he was shot by some bike-borne assailants. The shooters fired four rounds at him before fleeing the spot around 7 am, an official from Dungara police station said.
Vapi Deputy superintendent of police B N Dave said that the incident took place after the family was returning home. He said that Patel was in the driver’s seat when suddenly, two persons on a motorbike approached the car and shot him three times from a close range and fled the scene.
Patel’s wife has seen the faces of the attackers, said Dave.
“She has told the police that the killers could be from their village in Kocharva, where they had a dispute with some people in the past. Investigations are on and we are trying to ascertain the identity of the attackers,” said the DySP.
According to sources, the incident occurred due to an old enmity.
Meanwhile, the leader’s family has refused to accept the body. The family said they would not accept the body until the accused were caught and justice was served.
The kin asked what would be the difference between Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat if such incidents happened in broad daylight.
Hearing the scream of his wife, the people around gathered and took Shailesh Patel to a hospital, where he was declared dead.
The police are searching for the shooters with the help of CCTV footage and have blockaded the area to nab the accused.
