Shri Rashtriya Rajput Karni Sena chief Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi was shot dead by three men at his home in Jaipur on Tuesday, reported PTI.
One of the assailants, Naveen Singh Shekhawat, was also killed in retaliatory firing by Gogamedi’s bodyguard.
Close-circuit television camera footage from Gogamedi’s home showed two armed men opening fire at him while two of Gogamedi’s associates took cover. One of Gogamedi’s associates was also shot at.
“Prima facie it seems that three people shot Gogamedi at his house in Shyam Nagar today,” Jaipur Commissioner of Police Biju George Joseph said, according to The Indian Express. “One of the assailants was also shot dead in retaliatory firing...A friend of Gogamedi was critically injured while his personal security officer was shot in the leg.”
The organisation represents Rajput interests and is different from the Rajput Karni Sena that had led violent protests against Hindi movie Padmaavat in 2018.
Shortly after the killing, Rohit Godara, a member of the gang headed by jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, claimed responsibility for the killing, according to India Today.
Gogamedi was taken to hospital, where he was declared dead. Supporters of the organisation and its splinter group Shri Rajput Karni Sena are demanding swift action against the killers.
“Gogamedi had been receiving threats for the past one year and had also asked for more security from the police,” Narayan Singh Divrala, the Jaipur district president of the Shri Rajput Karni Sena told The Indian Express. “We want immediate arrest of the accused and want them hanged. We are not going to accept the body as long as our demands are not met.”
Members of the organisation also held protests in Jaipur.
Bharatiya Janata Party MP from Jaipur Rajyavardhan Rathore on Tuesday said that the new government in the state will take swift action against the perpetrators of the crime. The BJP won the Assembly elections in Rajasthan on Sunday.
“I appeal to all of you to maintain peace and patience in this tough hour,” Rathore said in a tweet. “The criminals will be arrested soon and I am constantly in touch with the police. I pray to god to grant peace to Gogamedi ji’s soul and provide strength to his family members and his supporters and well-wishers in this hour of grief.”
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