Second BJP leader found dead in MP in 36 hours

Bhopal: Barely 36 hours after a senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader was shot dead in Mandsaur in Madhya Pradesh, another prominent party activist was brutally killed in Barwani district in the state on Sunday.

Incidentally, the two slain BJP leaders hailed from Malwa-Nimar region in Madhya Pradesh where BJP has put up a ‘surprisingly’ good show in the November 28 assembly elections, bringing the party on the verge of retaining power in the state.

The body of Manoj Thakere (40), a local BJP leader, was found with his head crushed apparently with a boulder in an agriculture land close to his village, Balwadi, in Barwani district on Sunday morning.

“He had gone on morning walk, but did not return. His body was later found in an agriculture plot. He had deep injury marks in his face. His head seemed to have been crushed with a boulder. It appears more than one assailant were involved in his murder”, Warla police station in-charge Dinesh Kushwaha said.

“An investigation is on in the incident,” he added.

The deceased BJP leader was a loyalist of former minister Antar Singh Arya.

The ghastly killing of Thakere comes barely 36 hours after the murder of senior BJP leader and Mandsaur Nagar Palika chairman Pralhad Bandhwar.

Former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan who expressed serious concern over killing of two BJP leaders in a span of 48 hours, said the contention that Ban-dhwar was killed for a paltry `25,000 was unacceptable. “We demand a CBI probe into the killings of the two BJP leaders”, he said.

Fifty-year-old Band-hwar, who played key role in ensuring victory of BJP candidates of seven out eight assembly seats under Mandsaur parliamentary constituency in the recently held polls, was shot dead allegedly by a BJP activist in district headquarters of Mandsaur on Friday evening.

Former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan who expressed serious concern over killing of two BJP leaders in a span of 48 hours, said the contention that Bandhwar was killed for a paltry Rs 25,000 was unacceptable.

“We demand a CBI probe into the killings of the two BJP leaders”, he said.

The accused, who was arrested in Rajasthan on Saturday, purportedly told the police that he killed Bandhwar because the latter did not repay his dues of Rs 25,000.