BJP ally Nishad Party, SP join hands to protest trader’s murder

Lucknow: A 45-year-old trader died at a Lucknow hospital after a group of men allegedly assaulted him in Uttar Pradesh’s Gonda following a dispute over social-media posts, officials said.

Two men have been arrested in connection with the incident, they added.

The incident has triggered a political controversy, with leaders of BJP-ally Nishad Party and the opposition Samajwadi Party (SP) joining hands in protest over the killing.

According to police, Vinod Kumar Sahani, a resident of Reksadiya village under the Paraspur police station, ran a utensils shop at the Shahpur market. He was returning home on his motorcycle after closing his shop when 10 men, travelling on four motorcycles, intercepted him near Lallan Yadav’s shop and allegedly attacked him.

Additional Superintendent of Police (West) Radheshyam Rai said the attackers allegedly assaulted Sahani with various weapons, including a spear, leaving him seriously injured on the road. The assailants fled, believing him to be dead, police said. Sahani was initially taken to a community health centre and later, referred to the medical college in Gonda.

As his condition deteriorated, he was shifted to Lucknow, where he died during treatment on Thursday.

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The Hans India