Manoj Thackeray was the chairman of the Mandsaur Municipal Council (File)
A senior Madhya Pradesh minister on Monday said "someone close" might be behind the killing of a local BJP leader, even as a top police official said they had a few leads and were close to solving the case.
BJP leader Manoj Thackeray , 48, was on Sunday found dead with injury marks on the face and neck in the Balwadi area of Barwani.
Earlier, on Thursday, another BJP leader, Prahlad Bandhawar, was shot dead in Mandsaur allegedly by one Manish Bairagi, with the police claiming it to be the fallout of a financial dispute. The leader was the chairman of the Mandsaur Municipal Council.
Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Bala Bachchan on Monday said the person arrested for Mr Bandhawar's killing was a BJP worker and added that "in this (Barwani) incident too, someone close is involved".
Meanwhile, Indore Inspector General of Police Varun Kapoor, briefing reporters on Mr Manoj Thackeray's case, said, "We are working on two-three leads. At present, it won't be proper to reveal anything but we have got definite leads. We are on the verge of getting success."
Speaking in the state's Sendhwa district, Bala Bachchan also advised the BJP to ensure its cadre didn't take law in their hands.
"The BJP should ponder over the fact that its worker is (behind the) killing of its leader. It (BJP) should control them (workers) first instead of blaming the government," Bala Bachchan said in connection with the killing of Mr Bandhawar.
The killings had rankled the opposition BJP with former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan tweeting on Sunday that they were "a matter of grave concern" and accused the Congress of "taking it lightly and seeking to make a cruel joke of the incidents".