Lucknow: The founding member of a right wing group was shot dead in Lucknow on Sunday when he went out for a morning walk. Ranjit Bachchan, chief of Vishwa Hindu Mahasabha, was attacked by bike-bourne assailants at Hazratganj, the city’s busy commercial area.
His cousin Aditya Srivastav, who was accompanying him, said one of the men snatched their cellphones and fired multiple rounds at them.
Ranjit Bachchan received bullet injuries on his head and died on the spot. Aditya Srivastav sustained a bullet injury on his hand.
A .32bore pistol, built in Bihar’s Munger, was recovered from the spot, the police said.
Ranjit Bachchan was associated with the Samajwadi Party before he formed the right-wing group.
Six police teams have been deputed to investigate the case, sources said.
This was the second time a right-wing leader was killed in Lucknow in the recent months. In October, Kamlesh Tiwari, president of the Hindu Samaj Party, was attacked while at home. He was shot in the face and stabbed 15 times and died on the way to hospital.
The men had called on him with a box of sweets for Diwali and attacked him when he invited them in.
Two men — Ashfaq Hussain (34) and Moinuddin Pathan (27) — were arrested and they have confessed to the murder, the police said.
The men, who were from Surat in Gujarat, allegedly killed the Hindu group leader over statements he apparently made against Prophet Mohammad in the past, the police said.
