The Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad on Thursday arrested seven people in connection with the murder of two Bharatiya Janata Party leaders in Baruch earlier this month. The police said the killing might have been ordered by 1993 blasts accused Javed Chikna to “avenge injustices” during the subsequent riots in Mumbai and those in Gujarat in 2002. Two sharp-shooters were among those arrested. Chikna had allegedly hired the contract killers for Rs 50 lakh, but had paid them Rs 5 lakh so far, the Times of India reported.

The police said the assassins had targeted three more leaders, and they would be provided extra security. Two unidentified gunmen had shot dead former party president of Bharuch district and senior RSS member Shirish Bangali and the Bharuch district general secretary of the BJP youth wing Pragnesh Mistry on November 2.