By A Special Correspondent
First publised on 2023-12-06 15:25:19
Even before the newly elected MLAs could take the oath in the assembly and Rajasthan was being run by a caretaker government, an audacious and brazen criminal act happened in the heart of Jaipur. Two gunmen, allegedly belonging to the gang of US-based Rohit Godara who is gangster Lawrence Bishnoi's henchman, gained access to the office-cum-residence of Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi, the chief of Shri Rashtriya Rajput Karni Sena, with the help of an accomplice identified as Naveen Shekhawat. Shekhawat ensured that they were not frisked before allowing inside despite the fact that Gogamedi had lodged police complaints about receiving death threats and visitors were routinely frisked before they were allowed inside.
Once inside, the two miscreants first discussed something with Gogamedi and then suddenly opened fire on him. He was hit multiple times at close range. Later, they also targeted Shekhawat and killed him. Police said that a total of 17 rounds were fired inside the room. The gunmen also injured Gogamedi's personal security guard, one of his aides and a passerby whose two-wheeler they snatched to escape. It was not immediately known whether any of the two was hurt in the retaliatory fire by Gogamedi's security team. The police have said that the killers have been identified. They also said that land dispute could be a reason for the murder.
There was a demand for Jaipur bandh on Wednesday which later expanded to Rajasthan bandh. Protests erupted in all districts with supporters demanding quick action against the perpetrators. Later, Punjab Police said that it had shared inputs about the threat to Gogamedi's life with Rajasthan Police. Rajasthan Police will have to act fast and arrest the culprits (who they have identified) to prevent the issue from snowballing into a major crisis. For, the Karni Sena (although Gogamedi's faction is a breakaway group of the parent body) is capable of spreading anarchy (as it did when it protested against the shooting of the film Padmavat).