The minister said his son had left for Delhi a day before the man died
The body of a 30-year-old man has been found at a house owned by Union Minister and BJP MP Kaushal Kishore on the outskirts of Lucknow. Vinay Srivastava died of a gunshot wound and the pistol used in the shooting belongs to the minister's son, Vikas Kishore, who was in Delhi at the time of the incident, the police said. The pistol was kept under a pillow, they said.
Srivastava was a close friend of Vikas, and his brother has alleged that he was murdered.
The alleged murder took place around 4 am on Friday in Begariya village near Lucknow, allegedly over gambling, the police said. An FIR has been registered and three people have been arrested after six people, who were in the house at the time of the alleged murder, were questioned. The house was not used by the minister, and both he and the victim's brother have said that Vikas was not present when Srivastava died.
Kaushal Kishore, who is the minister of state for housing and urban affairs, said Vikas had taken a flight to Delhi on Thursday afternoon and presented boarding passes and a photo taken in the flight as proof
Srivastava's brother has, however, alleged a conspiracy. Pointing to the fact that the minister's son had left his pistol behind, he said that Vikas always took the weapon with him wherever he went.
Asked whether the minister's son could be involved in the conspiracy, Srivastava's brother said, "I can say that, definitely, because he should have taken the pistol with him. Whenever he went to Delhi or elsewhere, he always took the weapon with him. Why didn't he take it yesterday? This is a planned conspiracy. Why did they kill my brother? Vinay would never do something like this to himself."
Mr Kishore said his son had not taken the pistol with him because he does not have a national licence for it.
"Whatever has happened is sad. I informed the police commissioner as soon as I found out. The people who were in the house had also informed the police. The incident is being investigated and if anyone is found guilty, they will be punished. We are with Vinay's family and the law. Vikas took a flight to Delhi on Thursday afternoon. The people who were in the house are being questioned," the minister said.
"The pistol belongs to Vikas, but he had left it behind since he had gone to Delhi. He would do this every time, because the pistol is licenced only in Uttar Pradesh. Only the people who were in the house will be able to say how they got the pistol. We have handed over the CCTV footage. Vinay was a good friend of Vikas and he was like family to us. Vikas was crying when he found out about his death," he added.
Rahul Raj, deputy commissioner of police (west), Lucknow, said, "Vinay Srivastava was found dead with a gunshot wound at Vikas Kishore's residence in Begariya village. The victim's brother has filed a complaint alleging murder. An FIR has been registered. We are investigating the pistol used in the incident."