A Shiv Sena leader was chased and shot dead by the three bike-borne men in Punjab’s Moga late Thursday night. A chilling CCTV video shows how he tried to evade the shooters just minutes before he was killed.
Mangat Rai alias Manga, who was the Moga district president of Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, had stepped out of his house on a scooter to buy milk when he was attacked. He dodged several bullets fired at him before ultimately being killed.
The first shot was fired around 10 pm, but it missed him and hit an 11-year-old boy who was crossing the area. Manga immediately fled the area on a two-wheeler.
In the CCTV footage, the Shiv Sena leader was seen trying to climb a locked gate to elude his attackers. The men, however, find him, and one of them fires at him, but the bullet misses him. He was then fired at by another man. The next frame shows the men appearing to flee the scene when they spot an approaching car. Rai was also seen running away. This time, however, the attackers gain on him and shoot him dead.
The attackers, in a video shared on Instagram, have claimed responsibility for the murder. They alleged they were upset with Mangat Rai because he used to threaten them and extort money.
The police, meanwhile, have registered a First Information Report (FIR) against six suspects.
“It is a case of personal rivalry. An FIR for murder has been registered against six suspects named by the family of the victim. They will be arrested soon,” said Senior Superintendent of Police Ajay Gandhi.
Some outfits and family members of the victim blocked the Ferozepur National Highway, demanding the arrest of the accused. Slogans were raised against the AAP government, alleging a complete breakdown of the law and order situation in Punjab.
The agitators said the protest would continue until the culprits were arrested and the family was given a government job and financial assistance and that until then, Mangat Rai’s last rites would not be performed.
Earlier, Mr Rai’s daughter said that her father eft the house at around 8 pm on Thursday to get milk. “At 11 pm, someone informed us that my father was shot dead. We want justice and will do whatever we have to do for that,” she said.
In another incident on the same night, three motorcycle riders entered a salon in Bagiana Basti around 9 pm on Thursday for a haircut and fired two shots at the owner, Devender Kumar. One bullet hit Kumar in the leg, and he was taken to Moga Civil Hospital for treatment and later referred to another hospital, police said.
Mangat Rai’s shooters claimed this attack as well saying Kumar was targetted due to personal rivalry.
