Rajput Leader Shot Dead At Jaipur Home, Gangster Says He 'Backed Enemies'

A prominent Rajput leader in Rajasthan, who also led a fringe outfit, was shot dead at his Jaipur home today. Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi, chief of Rashtriya Rajput Karni Sena, was shot dead by three men at close range, right after they had tea with him. Mr Gogamedi and two of his associates suffered bullet injuries. They were rushed to a hospital, where doctors declared Mr Gogamedi dead.

The outfit Mr Gogamedi led is different from Rajput Karni Sena that spearheaded the protests against Bollywood movie Padmaavat. In fact, Mr Gogamedi split from Karni Sena, then led by Lokendra Singh Kalvi, in 2015 and formed his outfit.

A shocking CCTV video shows Mr Gogamedi, two of his associates and three other men seated in a room. Soon, one of the men opens fire at the Rajput leader. One of his associates is also shot at. The visuals show the killers pumping at least four bullets in Mr Gogamedi's body, even after he stops moving.

Reports say the incident took place around 12.30 pm. Mr Gogamedi's guards, it is learnt, fired at the killers and gunned down one of them. The other shooters managed to escape on a bike they snatched at gunpoint outside the Rajput leader's home.

Union Minister and BJP leader Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said he was shocked by the incident. "I have spoken to the police commissioner and asked him to arrest the accused at the earliest," he said, adding that making the state crime-free is among the priorities of the BJP government that will be sworn in soon. The BJP defeated the ruling Congress in recently held Assembly polls.

A member of the Goldy Brar gang has claimed responsibility for the killing. Rohit Godara Kapurisr has written in a Facebook post that Mr Gogamedi was helping their enemies and that prompted the attack.