BJP leader chased, shot dead by assailants in Patna

The shooting and death of Avinash Kumar has triggered protests by party leaders including legislators

Local BJP leader Avinash Kumar was chased and shot dead from close quarters by three assailants when he was out for a morning walk near his house in the heart of Bihar capital today, with the incident being caught on CCTV.

According to police, assailants pumped bullets into Kumar, general secretary of BJP's Patna unit, near his residence near Daldali Road in the city.

The incident sparked protest in the area. BJP MLAs created a ruckus in Bihar Assembly over the killing, alleging that the incident reflected the "deteriorating" law and order situation in the poll-bound state.

Police have got closed-circuit television footage from a temple which showed the attackers chasing and shooting Kumar.

"The footage shows three assailants chasing Kumar on foot. They shot him and he fell on the road. One of the assailants then walked up to him and shot him in the head. All the attackers escaped after committing the crime," a police officer said.

Coordinated raids led by Patna Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Vikas Vaibhav are being conducted across the city to nab the persons involved in the crime. City SP (Central) Chandan Kumar Kushwaha and entire top brass of the city police are involved in the raids.

Meanwhile, the news about Kumar's murder spread like wildfire and residents of the area came out on roads to protest. They burnt tyres to block roads and staged a sit-in for a few hours demanding the arrest of the assailants and justice for the victim's family.

Several BJP leaders including Bankipur MLA Nitin Navin joined the protest against the killing.

"Kumar was supposed to meet me today morning as we were to tour our constituency areas in view of the coming Assembly polls. I was waiting for him when news came that he has been shot dead around 6.30 a.m near his house," Navin said.

The MLA said if police fail to arrest the culprits within 48 hours, he and his party will come out on roads to protest the deteriorating law and order situation in the city and state.

BJP MLAs registered their protest in the Assembly and created a ruckus due to which the House was adjourned till 2 p.m.