A former Indian Army soldier was arrested on Saturday in relation to the murder of a former BJP MP’s nephew in Chhota Udepur district. The incident happened on Friday evening when Kuldeep, the nephew of former BJP MP Ramsinh Rathwa, was shot dead in Pipladi village within the Kawant taluka of Chhota Udepur.
The police stated that Kuldeep was killed by the accused, Shankar Rathwa, out of an “old animosity.” The victim was shot by the accused and his accomplice, Amla Rathwa, after they arrived at the Pipladi village on Friday evening.
Police described Kuldeep as the accused’s “arch rival” because of his political involvement in the area.
On the incident, Chhota Udepur Sub Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Gaurav Agarwal said, “The incident occurred around 10 pm on Friday when ex-serviceman Shankar Rathwa arrived at Kuldeep’s residence and shot him. He then fled with his accomplice, Amla, on a two-wheeler. Shankar Rathwa has been arrested while the search is on to track down Amla. The accused had been holding a grudge against the victim since his faction won the sarpanch election a few years ago.”
A case has been filed against the accused, and an FIR under murder charges was registered at Kawant police station on Saturday.
Kuldeep is the son of Ramsinh Rathwa’s younger brother, who is a former BJP MP from Chhota Udepur.
Kuldeep’s wife, Hansa, alleged, “For the past five days, Shankar had been threatening to kill my husband. He even came to our house to issue threats. On Friday night, he returned and shot him dead. This happened because of the election results.”
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