Armed men barged inside a Rajasthan Roadways bus on Wednesday and shot dead a murder accused who was being escorted by a police team for a court hearing in Bharatpur, officials said.
Another man was injured in the firing and is admitted to a hospital in a critical state, they said. Both men were accused of killing a local Bharatiya Janata Party leader in 2022.
According to police, the bus was stopped near Amoli toll plaza under Halena police station of Bharatpur by the men who came in a car and two motorcycles.
They entered the bus and hurled chilli powder on the policemen and started firing on Kuldeep Jagheena and Vijaypal, they said.
The police have apprehended four accused, of whom two were injured during police action.
Jagheena and Vijaypal, accused in the murder of a local BJP leader Kripal Jagheena on September 4, 2022, were being taken to Bharatpur from Jaipur by a team of seven policemen led by a head constable armed with two semi-automatic rifles (SLR).
SP Bharatpur Mridul Kachchawa said the two murder accused were rushed to RBM government hospital in Bharatpur where Jagheena was declared brought dead by doctors, while Vijaypal is being treated.
The police identified the culprits with the help of CCTV footage and a vehicle has been recovered.
They caught the four accused, identified as Babulal Malipura, Saurabh Lulhara, Vishnu Jat and Dharmraj in the evening near Bayana in Bharatpur.
The police opened fire at the accused while they were fleeing in which Bablu and Vishnu received bullet injuries on their legs, a police official said in Bharatpur.
The injured accused were admitted to a hospital in Dholpur.
Jaipur Additional Commissioner of Police (Administration) Rahul Prakash said several bullets were shot at Jagheena, while the policemen managed to protect Vijaypal from the direct assault.
He said the police team did not open fire in view of the security of the bus passengers.
The officer said an inquiry will be done and action will be taken if any policeman is found guilty of negligence.
Jagheena, who was shot dead today, was the main accused in the killing of the local BJP leader. He along with four others was arrested on September 11 last year from Maharashtra in connection with the murder.
BJP state president CP Joshi raised questions on the role of policemen and asked whether the criminal was eliminated to silence his voice because the name of some ”big man” was about to come up.
He alleged that the murder may have been done under some ”well-thought-out strategy”.
”The murder took place today so that the name of the main accused behind the killing of BJP Mandal President would not come up,” Joshi alleged.
”This could be some big conspiracy. Being the home minister of the state, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot should think about how crime is flourishing in Rajasthan under the patronage of his government,” he said.
Joshi added, ”Somewhere in such incidents, the nexus of politics and crime is clearly visible.”
Leader of Opposition Rajendra Rathore, in a video statement, said the incident was a blot on the image of the Congress government.
”There is no law and order in the state. There has been no full time home minister in Rajasthan. In the Bharatpur incident, the police were bringing a notorious criminal on a bus and he is murdered, this is sheer carelessness. When there was a threat, why was a special vehicle not arranged,” he said.
He said that the matter will be raised in the upcoming assembly session.
