Amethi: BJP leader Smriti Irani on Sunday attended the cremation ceremony of her close aide Surendra Singh, a former village head who was shot dead by two unidentified men at his house around 11.30 on Saturday night.
Irani arrived in Amethi on Sunday afternoon and met the family members of the deceased and attended the cremation. She along with other people, shouldered Singh's body on way to the cremation ground for his last rites.
The police probing the case are not ruling out the possibility of it being a "political murder".
Speaking to reporters in Lucknow, UP DGP Om Prakash Singh said, "We have come to know about old enmity. We are also finding out if there was any political enmity."
"UP police teams are conducting very intensive investigation. We have taken seven persons in custody, and they are being intensely interrogated. We have also got important evidence through electronic surveillance. I am hopeful that in the next 12 hours, we will solve the case," the DGP said.
He said they are looking into a number of possible angles that could have led to the killing.
Expressing grief over Singh's death, Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya said, "The death of a party worker is indeed very sad and unfortunate. He was a hard worker. Even if his killers are hiding below the ground, they will be caught. The entire Amethi is sad over the incident."
UP minister Rita Bahuguna Joshi said there's no place for violence in a democracy and demanded strict action against the killers.
Baraulia, the village Singh once headed, was in the news during the general election campaign after Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra accused Irani of distributing shoes to the village residents in order to insult Rahul Gandhi, the BJP leader's main opponent in the constituency.
Irani defeated the Congress president on Amethi seat, for long a Gandhi family bastion.
BJP convenor for Amethi Lok Sabha seat Rajesh Agrahari told PTI, "Considering the fact that the Congress is disappointed, especially after the defeat of its party president in Amethi, a high-level probe should be ordered, and the guilty should be punished."
"Surendra Singh was a popular and active grassroots level leader, and a close aide of MP Smriti Irani. He and other party leaders were actively involved in distribution of shoes," he added.
Amethi Superintendent of Police Rajesh Kumar said, "The incident cannot be ruled out to be a political murder. All aspects are being probed. There can be old enmity as well," the SP said.
This appears to be the first incident of political violence reported in the state since the completion of the campaigning for the general election.
