Smriti lends shoulder to mortal remains of deceased aide

An emotional Smriti Irani on Sunday lent a shoulder to the mortal remains of Surendra Singh, ex-village head of Barauli, Amethi, who was said to be one of her closest aides.

Singh was shot dead last night while he was asleep at his residence. He was rushed to a trauma centre in Lucknow where he breathed his last.

People were heard shouting slogans of "Bharat Mata ki Jai" and "Jab tak suraj-chand rahega, Surendra chacha ka naam rahega" when Singh's mortal remains were being taken for last rites. Irani was also present during Singh's rituals.

Irani, visibly distraught on seeing Singh's body, folded her hands to pay tributes to him. She later bent down to touch his feet.

Seven persons have been detained for questioning in connection with the killing, police said, not ruling out political rivalry as a possible motive.

Earlier today, Singh's son claimed that Congress supporters were involved in the killing of his father.

"My father was a close aide of Smriti Irani and campaigned 24 by 7 in the Lok Sabha elections. After she was elected as an MP, a victory procession was carried out. I believe some Congress supporters didn't like it. We have suspicions on some people," Singh's son said here.

Some of the deceased's relatives have indicated that his murder could be a fallout of a political rivalry, including the recently concluded general elections in which Irani trounced Congress president Rahul Gandhi.