Uttar Pradesh Police have arrested three persons and booked cases against  four more as investigations begin to probe the murder of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Brijesh Singh. According to Amar Ujala, protestors blocked the Gorakhpur-Maharajganj road for one hour in protest against the incident, and dispersed only after assurances from the police. 

Brijesh Singh, 52, the BJP candidate for Narayanpur village panchayat chief, was murdered in Chief Minister Adityanath’s home district of Gorakhpur. According to a report in The Telegraph, Singh was shot dead on the Uttar Pradesh highway late on Friday night. Singh was returning home to Moglaha on his motorcycle after campaigning for the panchayat polls when he was shot in the head and chest stated media reports. His supporters, who the Telegraph stated were following about half a kilometre behind, took him to the BRD Medical College, where he was declared dead on arrival.

Brijesh, a former panchayat chief of Narayanpur, was standing for elections once again as the formerly reserved seat had been re-earmarked as a general seat this time. Singh was supposed to file his nomination papers on Saturday, the BJP Gorakhpur district chief Yudhishtir Singh told the media and hailed Singh as an “active party leader.” His murder is the latest of similar attacks on politicians and others affiliated with the Sangh parivar, in a state ruled by Adityanath, who is also a religious leader and often hailed by the right wing as one of the most influential BJP Cheif Ministers. 

 According to the news report, Brijesh’s supporters also sat on a dharna at the gate of the medical college, questioning the law-and-order situation in the state. One of them, Rajesh Singh, told the media that “the killers are so confident that they are committing murders in the chief minister’s home district,” adding that Brijesh was a powerful leader who had campaigned for party candidates in Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, “Unfortunately, he wasn’t safe under our own party’s rule.” 

 According to media reports, Singh’s brother Bholanath Singh, had in his police complaint stated that a land dispute was the motive behind the murder. Police identified the accused as Sunil Srivastava, Pawan Srivastava, Vinay Srivastava and Ram Samuj Nishad, a  case was registered under IPC sections 302 (murder) and 147 (rioting). The Amar Ujala reported that  Brijesh’s brother Bholanath told the police that his brother Brijesh Singh had allegedly been threatened by the accused in the past as well. 

As reported by the Telegraph, “over a dozen Sangh parivar leaders have been murdered in the state during Adityanath’s four-year-old rule.” However, the police have denied any political angle and suggested land disputes or illicit love affairs as the motive in most cases.

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The newly elected BJP candidate from Deoband, Brijesh Singh wants to see the city renamed as Dev Vrand.

Deoband, generally known as the epicentre of the revivalist Deoband movement  born after the 1857 revolt is home to what is considered the most important centre of Islamic learning in south Asia.

But Singh who has a different take told the Indian Express: “Deoband is just a perception as this town is always famous as Dev Vrand only. We have Mahabharat’s Rankhandi here and the five Pandavas have worshiped here in Dev Vrand. Even the village named as Jarwala is actually Yakshawala and is the same place where ‘Yaksha’ has questioned Yudhisthir.”

One of the five constituencies in Saharanpur district, 65 per cent of Deoband’s populace are Muslim.

Singh emerged victorious from this majority constituency secured over 1,02,000 votes defeating his nearest rival from the BSP, Majid Ali by a margin of 29,415 votes.

The BJP MLA claims his victory is owing to the fact that a majority of Muslim women too voted for him as they are pleased with the Narendra Modi-led NDA government’s support for ending the practice of triple talaq (instant divorce). “Meri Muslim behnen Modi ji ke sath hai aur woh bhi chahti hain ki teen Talaq band ho,” he said.

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