A BJP leader has been shot dead by two masked men in Katni district of Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday morning (28th October). The incident took place around 11 a.m. near the Bank of Baroda in Kymore town.
Witnesses described scenes of chaos, panic in the market near the area, multiple gunshots, and Rajak collapsing on the road. Within minutes of the killing, hundreds of residents poured into the streets, demanding the immediate arrest of the murderers.
CCTV footage from a nearby shop captured the entire incident, as per reports. Rajak, who was the president of the BJP OBC Morcha in Kymore, was heading to the market on his motorcycle when the two masked men intercepted him and opened fire.
Accused arrested after encounter
Katni Superintendent of Police (SP) Abhinay Vishwakarma said the shooters had been identified as Prince Joseph (30), son of Nelson Joseph, and Akram Khan (33).
The Katni police arrested both the accused involved in the murder after a brief encounter late Wednesday night (29th October) in the Kymore area. The accused had opened fire at the police team and were injured in retaliatory fire. Both have been admitted to Jabalpur Medical College for treatment.
The police had received a tip-off from ASP Dr. Santosh Kumar Dehariya that both the accused were taking refuge in the Kajarwara locality. Following the tip-off, a team surrounded the locality around 2 AM. When the police were spotted, the accused had opened fire. The police retaliated by firing four rounds, injuring both the accused in their hands and legs. The accused were immediately overpowered, arrested, and taken for medical treatment under close security.
Political tension and protests
Rajak’s family and local BJP workers blocked the road and refused to allow a post-mortem for nearly seven hours, demanding the immediate arrest of the killers. They called off the agitation only after officials promised them quick action. Owing to the delay and late hour, the post-mortem was done the next morning.
Katni Collector Ashish Tiwari informed that the situation has returned to normal and police personnel have been stationed in Kymore and Vijayraghavgarh to ensure law and order.
The accused’s father dies by suicide
In a shocking development, one of the accused’s fathers, Nelson Joseph, reportedly took his own life soon after hearing that his son was involved in the murder. According to Nelson’s nephew, he came home around 11:30 a.m., spoke normally to family members, went inside his room, and locked the door. When he didn’t respond for a long time, the family peeped through the window and found him hanging. Police confirmed that Nelson had died by suicide.
Old dispute is linked to the murder
Vijayraghavgarh MLA and former state minister Sanjay Pathak revealed that Rajak had a dispute with the accused Akram Khan about one and a half months ago. The dispute began after a student from a local DAV school complained that a Muslim youth was harassing her. Rajak had intervened to resolve the matter, but it led to a heated argument and physical fight between the two.
“The case reached the police station, and cross-FIRs were filed against both parties. At that time, Akram had threatened Rajak, saying he would shoot him in the middle of the road. Today, that threat has become reality,” Pathak said. He added that Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and BJP state president Hemant Khandelwal have both spoken to him to take stock of the situation.
The murder of Rajak, who had been associated with the BJP for nearly 18 years, has created a strong reaction within the party. Known to be a close aide of BJP MLA and former minister Sanjay Satyendra Pathak, Rajak was also connected to the Bajrang Dal and worked as a vendor for the ACC factory.
Vijayraghavgarh SDOP Virendra Dharwe confirmed that both assailants were recorded in CCTV footage arriving on a motorcycle and firing at Rajak. “Teams have been mobilized to catch the accused, and every effort is being made to bring them to justice. They will not be spared under any circumstances,” he said.
