Former Baghpat district BJP chief shot dead during morning walk

nMEERUT: Two unidentified gunmen shot dead former Baghpat district president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Sanjay Khokhar, on Tuesday morning when he was on his daily morning walk, the police said. Khokhar, who was shot in the head and chest, died on the spot near Tilwara village of Baghpat’s Chaprauli area.

Khokhar used to go on a morning walk from his residence in Chaprauli to nearby Tilwara and visit his farm.

He was on the way to his farm when the two assailants approached him and shot him dead before escaping. Hearing the gunshots, farmers working in nearby fields reached the spot and informed the police about the incident.

Additional director general of police of the Meerut zone, Rajeev Sabharwal, said police teams had reached the scene of the crime and were gathering evidence to identify the killers.

Khokhar was the district president of the BJP for three years and was removed from the post before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The body has been sent for a post-mortem and an FIR registered at the Chhaprauli police station. The station house officer of Chhaprauli police station has been suspended, officials said.

Rashtriya Lok Dal leader and former MP Jayant Chaudhary tweeted about the killing, over which he targeted the Yogi Adityanath government of Uttar Pradesh. He said an atmosphere of fear prevailed in the state, adding that the situation in Baghpat had worsened over the past few years.

KHOKHAR WAS THE DISTRICT PRESIDENT OF THE BJP FOR THREE YEARS AND WAS REMOVED FROM THE POST BEFORE THE 2019 LOK SABHA ELECTIONS