SP leader, associate murdered in UP; two arrested

Two people were arrested after a district-level leader of the Samajwadi Party (SP) and his home guard associate were shot dead by unidentified assailants in Dinpur village here, police said today.

The incident took place on Tuesday night when assailants stopped the car in which SP leader Parvat Singh Yadav and home guard Umrav Singh were travelling and opened indiscriminate firing on the vehicle, police said.

Singh was killed on the spot while the assailants dragged Yadav to a nearby forest area before murdering him, they said.

Referring to the incident in his home town and Assembly constituency of Rampur, senior Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Mohd Azam Khan said the law and order situation in UP was deteriorating under the current dispensation and criminals no longer feared the police.

The arrested were identified as Suresh Singh and Surendra Singh, and two firearms were recovered from their possession, officials said.

"It seems to be a case of political rivalry," District Police Chief Vipin Tada said.

There was heavy police deployment in the area to avoid any law and order situation, he added.