Right-wing group Shri Rashtriya Rajput Karni Sena's president Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi was shot dead in the living room of his house in Jaipur on Tuesday by three men. One of the assailants was also gunned down by his accomplices, the police said.
Earlier, Jaipur police commissioner Biju George Joseph had said the assailant was killed in retaliatory firing by Gogamedi's security guards.
One of Gogamedi's security guards sustained bullet injuries in the exchange of fire with the assailants, who had gone to his house in the Shyam Nagar area on the pretext of meeting him, the police said.
Rajasthan Director General of Police (DGP) Umesh Mishra said the Rohit Godara gang has claimed responsibility for the murder and searches have been launched to trace the two assailants who managed to flee.
According to officials, Governor Kalraj Mishra has sought a report from the DGP on the incident, which was caught on CCTV and triggered protests by Gogamedi's supporters.
In the CCTV footage, the attackers are seen whipping out their weapons and firing indiscriminately at Gogamedi, who is sitting on a couch opposite them and eventually falls down. Before fleeing, one of the assailants shoots a motionless Gogamedi lying on the floor from a close range.
Gogamedi formed Shri Rashtriya Rajput Karni Sena after he was expelled from Sri Rajput Karni Sena in 2015 over differences with its founder Lokendra Singh Kalvi.
Both these outfits had protested against Deepika Padukone starrer "Padmaavat" in 2018 over alleged distortion of historical facts about the Rajput community.
"The attackers entered Gogamedi's house on the pretext that they wanted to talk to him. After talking to him for some time, they opened fire at him. One of Gogamedi's security guards retaliated and was injured in the firing. During the incident, two attackers shot their accomplice Naveen Shekhawat," DGP Mishra said.
"The Rohit Godara gang has taken responsibility for the murder. All possible hideouts of the attackers are being raided in the neighbouring districts and the Bikaner division," he said, adding that Rajasthan Police has also sought the cooperation of its Haryana counterparts.
It is a serious incident and teams are at work. The accused will be arrested soon, Mishra said.
He also appealed to people to maintain peace.
A purported social media post of Rohit Godara, affiliated with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, is going viral online in which he claims to have ordered the killing of Gogamedi as the Rajput leader was supporting his gang's enemies and was working to strengthen them.
The police said Gogamedi's family has refused to give their assent for post-mortem examination.
Deputy commissioner of police (Jaipur South) Yogesh Goyal said police are talking to Gogamedi's family to convince them to give their consent for the post-mortem.
Soon after the news of the attack on Gogamedi broke, his supporters and members of the Rajput community started reaching his house and the hospital in the Mansarovar area where his body has been kept. Former minister Rajendra Gudha was among those who reached the hospital.
Gogamedi's supporters blocked the Shipra Path road outside the hospital and demanded that the accused be arrested immediately.
Protests were also held in Churu, Udaipur, Alwar and Jodhpur districts.
Gogamedi's supporters have called for a 'Jaipur bandh' on Wednesday and threatened a statewide shutdown if action is not taken in the matter.
One of Gogamedi's relatives told reporters outside the hospital that he had been receiving threats for a long time and feared an attack. He claimed police had been informed about the threats.
Congress and BJP leaders condemned the brutal killing.
Outgoing Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said in a post on X, "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."
In a statement, Rajasthan BJP chief C P Joshi said Gogamedi had been asking the administration to increase his security for a long time but his request was not granted.
"What were the reasons for not providing security is a matter of investigation. Criminals who create anarchy need to be arrested immediately," he said.
Newly elected BJP MLA Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore said in a post on X that no one involved in the murder and its conspiracy will be spared.
The net has been cast and the culprits will be dragged out of their hideouts and given exemplary punishment.
In a statement, senior BJP leader Vasundhara Raje termed Gogamedi's murder highly condemnable and unfortunate.
