Dehradun (PTI): A 42-year-old-man was shot dead allegedly by two scooter-borne assailants in broad daylight here on Wednesday, police said.
This is the second murder within ten days.
Dehradun City Superintendent of Police Pramod Kumar said that the incident occurred around 10.30 am near the Tibetan Market when Arjun Sharma, a resident of Indira Nagar in the Vasant Vihar area, was standing near his car.
Kumar said that two assailants on a scooter opened fire on Sharma. He was taken to Doon Hospital, where he was declared dead.
According to the officer, preliminary investigations revealed that Sharma, the owner of Amardeep Gas Agency, had a family dispute over the business.
He said that due to this dispute, Sharma's mother had sought protection from the Uttarakhand High Court, citing a threat to her life from the deceased.
Dehradun Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ajay Singh has immediately formed separate teams to arrest the accused and has ordered a continuous and intensive investigation campaign throughout the district.
This is the second murder in Dehradun city in just ten days. Earlier, on February 2, a man allegedly murdered a 22-year-old woman by slitting her throat with a sharp weapon in Machhi Bazaar.
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Bengaluru (PTI): Congress general secretary and Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala on Saturday launched a sharp attack on the BJP over alleged disparaging remarks made by former Mysuru-Kodagu MP Pratap Simha against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah during an assembly bypoll campaign in Bagalkote.
Simha made the remarks while campaigning for BJP candidate Veerabhadrayya Charantimath, triggering a political row ahead of the by-elections scheduled for April 9.
Congress has fielded Umesh Meti, son of former MLA late M Y Meti, whose death necessitated the bye-election.
"Pratap Simha's vile remarks about Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in Bagalkot have exposed the BJP's despicable politics once again," Surjewala said in a social media post.
Alleging a larger political design, he added, "It is increasingly evident that Pratap Simha’s outburst is driven by desperation," and accused the BJP of using such remarks to target backward classes, Scheduled Castes, and minorities.
The Rajya Sabha member further claimed that the incident reflects a pattern within the party. "This is not one man's madness—it is the BJP’s political culture," he said, adding that the remarks were aimed at "denigrating leaders from marginalised communities".
Referring to past incidents, Surjewala said, "CM Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar have received death threats in the past, including one from BJP leaders who warned that their bodies would be stuffed into a refrigerator."
The Congress leader also criticised the BJP’s bypoll campaign strategy, alleging "internal contradictions".
He pointed to the party’s use of expelled MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal in campaigning despite earlier disciplinary action against him, accusing the BJP of resorting to "abuses and indignities" against opposition leaders.
Surjewala demanded immediate action from the BJP leadership, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP national president Nitin Nabin, state president B Y Vijayendra, and Leader of Opposition R Ashoka.
He said they must tender a public apology to Kannadigas, particularly to OBCs, SCs, and minorities, over the remarks, and urged the party to expel Simha if it does not repudiate his statements.
Surjewala also called for legal action, demanding that an FIR be registered against Simha and that strict measures be taken.
Warning of "political consequences", he said the electorate in the bypoll-bound constituencies would respond decisively if the BJP failed to apologise, asserting that voters would "teach the BJP a befitting lesson" in the elections.
There has been no immediate reaction from the saffron party yet.
