Wife, her lover among 4 arrested for killing Hindu outfit leader in UP
Lucknow/Mumbai, Feb 6: Police on Thursday arrested a right-wing Hindu outfit leader's wife, her lover and two others for his murder, officials said.
Ranjeet Bachchan, 40, who had founded the little known Vishwa Hindu Mahasabha, was allegedly killed because he was "delaying" the proceedings to divorce his wife Smriti Srivastava, who wanted to marry Deepender.
Their driver Sanjeet Gautam has been held in Lucknow for the murder. The man who actually pulled the trigger was nabbed in Mumbai by an Uttar Pradesh police team.
Smriti told police that a divorce case was going on between her and Bachchan since 2016, but he was stalling the process by not appearing for court proceedings, Lucknow Police Commissioner Sujit Pandey said.
She claimed that Bachchan was creating hurdles in her marriage with Deependra.
Saffron-clad Bachchan was shot dead on February 2 while he was out on a morning walk, barely a couple of kilometres away from the high-security Uttar Pradesh legislature complex in the heart of the state capital. His cousin Aditya Srivastava was also injured in the attack.
"Those involved in the murder are Smriti Srivastava (second wife), her friend Deependra, Sanjeet Gautam (driver) and Jeetendra (the shooter). Deependra was the person who convinced everyone to commit the crime. Smriti was part of the whole conspiracy. We arrested Sanjeet Gautam from Lucknow, Deependra has been arrested from UP-MP border and Smriti too has been arrested from Vikasnagar (in Lucknow)," the police commissioner told reporters here.
Giving details of the incident, Pandey said, "Three people (Deependra, Sanjeet and Jeetendra) moved from Rae Bareli at 2.30 am (on the intervening night of February 1 and 2). On February 2, Deependra was dropped at Hazratganj crossing, the shooter was dropped near Capitol cinema hall crossing. At 5.40 am, Ranjeet Bachchan, Kalindi and Aditya moved out from their home for morning walk. The shooter followed them in Hazratganj, and attacked them outside Globe Park."
Police said one vehicle was used for recce and another for escaping after committing the crime.
Based on specific inputs, the Uttar Pradesh's STF reached Mumbai on Wednesday night and arrested Jeetendra on Thursday with the help of their counterparts in Mumbai.
The Lucknow police commissioner said, "When we inquired about Bachchan's family, we learned he had two wives. He was living with his first wife in Lucknow's OCR complex, while second wife is Smriti and she is in government service. As many as four cases were registered, including that of a rape, against Bachchan."
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Muslim woman doctor decides not to join Bihar govt job after Nitish Kumar hijab incident
Patna: AYUSH doctor Nusrat Parveen has decided not to join Bihar government service after a controversial incident involving Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, despite recently receiving her appointment letter.
Parveen was among several hijab-wearing women attending a government Samvad programme in Patna when a video surfaced showing the Chief Minister allegedly pulling down her hijab in public. The incident sparked widespread criticism and political outrage across the country.
Although Parveen is scheduled to join service on December 20, she has chosen to stay away from the job due to the distress caused by the episode. Her family members are reportedly trying to convince her to reconsider the decision.
According to The Wire, Parveen’s brother, who teaches at a government law university in Kolkata, as saying that the family is of the opinion that she should not be held back for the fault of someone else, though they are well aware of her distress over the incident. Her husband works as a clinical psychologist at a college.
ALSO READ: Bihar CM removes hijab from newly appointed doctor's face at govt event, stokes controversy
The incident gained national attention after the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) shared a video clip of the Chief Minister’s interaction with Parveen on its official X account. As per the report, the video quickly went viral, drawing strong reactions from social media users, especially women, who described the act as inappropriate and humiliating.
The RJD criticised Nitish Kumar’s conduct and questioned his mental fitness in a strongly worded post. The Congress also entered the debate by condemning the Chief Minister’s behaviour and demanding his resignation, while linking the episode to concerns over women’s safety in Bihar and arguing that such conduct from the state’s highest constitutional authority sent a disturbing message to society at large.
Despite the growing outrage and sustained political pressure, there has been no official clarification or response from Nitish Kumar, his party, or the Bihar government more than a day after the video went viral.
