 "sukhdev singh gogamedi")
The broad daylight murder of Rajput leader and national president of Shri Rashtriya Rajput Karni Sena Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi on Tuesday has sent shockwaves across Rajasthan, sparking protests by the Rajput community who have called for a bandh across the state.
Gogamedi was shot dead in the living room of his house in Jaipur by three armed men, one of whom was gunned down in retaliatory firing, the police said. The Rajput leader's aide Naveen Singh Shekhawat was also killed in the incident, which was caught on CCTV.
Accused identified
Jaipur Police Commissioner Biju Geroge Joseph said that the two accused have been identified and search was on to trace them. The accused secured access to Gogamedi's house through Shekhawat, the other victim of the shooting. Joseph said it is a matter of investigation whether Shekhawat, who used to run a cloth shop, was aware of the intentions of the two accused.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed to probe the killing while a cash reward of Rs 5 lakh for information leading to the arrest of the two accused was also announced. It will be headed by Additional Director General (Crime) Dinesh MN.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed to probe the killing while a cash reward of Rs 5 lakh for information leading to the arrest of the two accused was also announced. It will be headed by Additional Director General (Crime) Dinesh MN.
Who was Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi?
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Gogamedi formed Shri Rashtriya Rajput Karni Sena following his expulsion from Sri Rajput Karni Sena in 2015 over differences with its founder Lokendra Singh Kalvi. Notably, these outfits were in the spotlight over their strong protest against the Deepika Padukone-starrer Bollywood movie 'Padmaavat' in 2018 over alleged distortion of historical facts about the Rajput community.
Jaipur Bandh
Several protests were organised in Jaipur and other cities of Rajasthan by the supporters of Gogamedi in the wake of the incident. Mahipal Singh Makrana, national president of the Shri Rajput Karni Sena, slammed the police over the matter and demanded the removal of the state director-general for "failing" to provide security to the Rajput leader.
"There was an intelligence input about the murder of Sukhdev Gogamedi from Punjab Police but the Rajasthan Police did not provide him security. This is a clear failure of the police. The DG should be moved and action against negligent police officials should be taken," he told PTI. Makrana also said they will be forced to hold protests across the country if the accused were not caught.
A relative of the Karni Sena leader claimed that Gogamedi had been receiving threats for a long time and feared an attack. He claimed police had been informed about the threats.
Gangster Rohit Godara, linked to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, has taken responsibility for the murder on a social media post, a police official said.
BJP-Congress spar over killing
Incidentally, the shooting took place two days after election results were announced in the state, triggering a political blame game between the outgoing Congress government and the Bharatiya Janata Party, which just won the elections.
While the Congress and BJP condemned the killing and demanded swift action, they also took potshots at each other in light of the recent poll results.
Outgoing Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said in a post on X (formerly Twitter), "The murder of Shri Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi is very sad. I pray to God to give peace to the departed soul and strength to his family to bear this loss."
However, Rajasthan BJP Chief C P Joshi questioned why Gogamedi had not been provided security despite requests. "What were the reasons for not providing security is a matter of investigation. Criminals who create anarchy need to be arrested immediately," he said.
Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat slammed the Congress regime in the state, saying this is the adverse effect of the way "gang wars have flourished" in the desert state since the time of the Ashok Gehlot government. Meanwhile, senior Congress leader Pramod Tewari claimed that the courage of criminals in Rajasthan has gone up just after the information that the BJP is coming to power in the state.
The BJP swept the Assembly elections in the state on Sunday, winning 115 of the 199 seats where polling took place.
(With PTI inputs)
