Gonda/Uttar Pradesh: A BJP leader, who is also a councillor, his three sons and a fifth person were booked in the murder of a local Samajwadi Party leader in Uttar Pradesh's Gonda district. The murdered SP leader Om Prakash Singh was attacked with sharp-edged weapons at his house on Friday night, police informed on Saturday, PTI reported.
A post-mortem was conducted, and Singh's body was handed over to the family, who staged a protest on Saturday morning, refusing to perform last rites. They placed Singh's body on the road and said that last rites would be performed only after the accused were arrested, police said.
Singh (45) was killed on Friday night after some people broke into his house in Raja Tola in Parsapur town and attacked him with a sharp-edge weapon, they said.
Following the protest, senior SP leader Yogesh Pratap Singh, former MLA Baijnath Dubey, and other party leaders reached his house and demanded fair and immediate action.
Meanwhile, Additional Superintendent of Police (West) Radheshyam Rai and Colonelganj Police Circle Officer Chandrapal Sharma rushed to the spot and assured the protesters of swift action, police said.
Seeing the crowd gathered outside Singh's house, they said additional force was called in.
Based on Singh's wife Neelam's complaint, an FIR was registered against five people, including BJP councillor of Paraspur Nagar Panchayat Udaybhan Singh alias Lallan Singh and his three sons, Paraspur police station in-charge Dinesh Singh.
A case was registered, and a team has been formed to arrest the accused. Om Prakash Singh had contested the Nagar Panchayat elections for the councillor seat on the SP symbol and lost it to BJP candidate Udaybhan Singh, the station in-charge said.
In her complaint, Neelam Singh alleged that Udaybhan and his family had attacked them twice in the past. Her husband and son were beaten up. They had filed a complaint at the local police station, but due to political pressure, no action was taken.
She said this emboldened the accused, and they entered their house on Friday and killed her husband.
If the police had taken action on the earlier complaints, her husband would not have lost his life, Neelam added.