Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi, a prominent Rajput leader from Rajasthan, was sipping tea with four other men at his Jaipur residence around noon today. While in the middle of a conversation, two of the men got up from their chairs and fired indiscriminately at Mr Gogamedi leaving him in a pool of blood on the floor.
The Rajput leader's sensational murder, caught on CCTV, has sparked protests in Rajasthan which is under the process of a regime change after the BJP unseated the ruling Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government in the recently held assembly elections in the state.
Who Was Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi
Mr Gogamedi formed Shri Rashtriya Rajput Karni Sena after he was expelled from Shri Rajput Karni Sena in 2015 over differences with its founder Lokendra Singh Kalvi.
Formed in 2006, the Sri Rajput Karni Sena, largely made up of Rajput youth, advocates for caste-based reservations for Rajputs. At one point Mr Gogamedi was a close confidante of Mr Kalvi and was appointed as the Rajasthan president of the Shri Rajput Karni Sena. However, political differences between the two forced Mr Gogamedi to form a splinter group.
READ | On Camera, Karni Sena Chief Shot Multiple Times, Last Bullet In Head
The Shri Rashtriya Rajput Karni Sena and Mr Gogamedi's rise to fame was leading protests against the Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor-starrer 2018 Bollywood film 'Padmaavat'.
Rajput groups in Rajasthan, including the Mr Gogamedi-led group, protested and vandalised the sets of the film, claiming it portrayed Padmavati, a Rajput queen, in a bad light. The film's director, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, was assaulted by the Shri Rashtriya Rajput Karni Senaat Jaipur's Jaigarh Fort.
The protests made national headlines when a bounty of Rs 10 crore was placed on Deepika Padukone by a member of another Karni Sena group.
Mr Gogamedi also protested against the police encounter of gangster Anand Pal Singh. Singh's death became a rallying point for Rajputs in the state who claimed that the gangster wanted to surrender but was shot dead by the police in cold blood.
Who Claimed Responsibility
During the exchange of fire at Mr Gogamedi's residence, one of the three shooters, identified as Naveen Singh Shekhawat, was also killed. A security guard of Mr Gogamedi was critically injured in the firing.
Gangster Rohit Godara, closely associated with both Goldie Brar and Lawrence Bishnoi's gangs, has claimed responsibility for Mr Gogamedi's murder.
READ | Who Is Rohit Godara, Man Claiming Responsibility For Rajput Leader's Murder
"I am Rohit Godara Kapursari, brother of Goldie Brar. Today we take full responsibility for the murder of Sukhdev Gogamedi," Godara wrote on social media. "He (Mr Gogamedi) used to back our enemies."
Godara, a resident of Bikaner's Lunakaran, is believed to be in Canada. He has over 32 cases registered against him at various police stations in India.
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