Local BJP leader shot dead in outer Delhi

Victim was a witness to murder of acquaintance

 Karva Chauth turned tragic for a local BJP leader’s wife after her husband was shot dead by an unidentified man at his residence-cum-office in Mubarak Pur’s Pravesh Nagar area in outer Delhi on Wednesday night.

Police said that the victim, 42-year-old Asha Ram Gautam, was a witness in a murder case of an acquaintance, which took place around Diwali last year, and was scheduled to
testify in court in the coming days.

The police also stated that they are investigating the case from all possible angles.
Asha Ram, a property dealer, was sitting in his office, on the ground floor, around 8.30pm on Wednesday when a tall, fair-skinned youth entered the house and shot him once in the chest with a country-made weapon.

The police said the shooter managed to escape and neighbours rushed the bleeding victim to the nearby Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival.

Asha Ram’s wife Sunita, an eyewitness to the incident, registered a case at Aman Vihar police station around 1.15 am on Thursday.

The neighbours criticised police for rising crime in Aman Vihar area.

 They said that they have often written to the authorities and complained about non-working street lights, rising crime rates and inefficiency of beat cops in the area.
“Crime rate has increased and the police are doing nothing about it. We don’t get to see the beat cops in the area. When we do, they act like demigods,” one of the neighbours alleged. 

“So many crimes have been reported in the area over the last year. But no action has been taken,” she accused.

“He was our leader. Asharam’s family has always taken good care of us,” said another, adding, “The shooter managed to escape due to the non-working street lights. We have often written to authorities about it.”

The neighbours also claimed that despite the police station being 20 minutes away – by car – the cops arrived at the crime scene nearly an hour after the incident.

Asha Ram Gautam was district vice president of the BJP’s SC/ST cell in Kirari legislative area.

His mother, wife, two sons and a daughter have survived him. He has three brothers, who also live in Pravesh Nagar area.