"Will Adopt His Family": Digvijaya Singh On Congress Worker Killed In Clash

Former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh and Congress Rajya Sabha MP Digvijaya Singh has met with the family members of a Congress worker, who died after a BJP candidate's vehicle allegedly ran over him in the state's Chhatarpur area.

Digvijaya Singh said that he would adopt the entire family of the Congress worker.

Mr Singh made the remark while talking to the reporter after meeting the family members on Saturday. The  Congress worker was identified as Salman Khan (40).

"The BJP workers had gone out to distribute money the night before yesterday. People who have earned crores of rupees by doing illegal business think that they would buy the voters by giving them money. As a precaution, Congress candidate Vikram Singh Nati Raja when he came to know that the money was being distributed, he reached there. There was no issue but there were animals sitting on the road, he (the Congress candidate) parked the car on the side to give way to the accused but they, including the BJP candidate Arvind Pateria, all came out of the vehicle and started abusing," Mr Singh said.

After that when the Congress candidate asked them to leave, they (BJP workers) did not do so and ran the vehicle over them in which Salman was killed, he added.

Mr Singh also said, "Congress is with the family and we will adopt the entire family. I have been demanding since yesterday from the SP and the collector that when a case of murder has been registered then no arrest has been made till now. The accused are coming to vote, yet they have not been caught to date. If it had been anyone else, their houses would have been demolished. I am with the victim's family, was there yesterday also and will be there in future also."

He added that the accused should be arrested soon. There is the only son left in the family and a government job should be given to him, he said.

"I am with the family and am here till the demand of the family will not be met," Mr Singh added.

Notably, the police registered a case against the BJP candidate Arvind Pateriya and his supporters in connection with the killing of a Congress worker in Chhatarpur district on Friday.

According to the FIR, the case was registered under IPC sections 302, 307, 147, 149, 294 and 506 at Khajuraho police station in the district. BJP candidate Pateriya was in the fray from Rajnagar assembly seat in the district. The FIR was registered following the complaint of Congress candidate from the seat Vikram Singh Nati Raja.

Superintendent of Police (SP, Chhatarpur) Amit Sanghi had said, "In a dispute that took place last night, an application was given to Khajuraho police station by the representative of a political party, under which an FIR has been registered against 20 people under various section and investigation into the matter is underway."

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)