JOIN USCriminal got killed by soldier: BJP MLA again defends main accused in Ballia firing
Undeterred by the show-cause notice served by his party on the issue, BJP lawmaker Surendra Singh on Thursday said that his aide, who had shot dead his rival during a meeting in front of the officials in Ballia a few days back, was a retired army man and that he had killed someone, who was a criminal (the victim).
Singh, who had been warned by the BJP leadership not to support the accused, said that he was even prepared to 'sacrifice' his life to ensure that the complaint of the family members of the accused was also registered by the police.
Speaking to reporters in Ballia, about 400 kilometres from here, the MLA said that the deceased, identified as Jai Prakash Pal, had a criminal past and that the latter faced robbery cases also.
''Pal was a criminal....he was killed by a soldier,'' Singh said. The accused Dhirendra Singh was the district president of BJP's ex-servicemen cell.
Seeking to make light of the show cause notice issued to him by the party leadership, the MLA said that it was a ''usual practice''.
The 'Karni Sena', a caste-based outfit, also lent support to the accused and warned of an agitation if the cops did not lodge an FIR against the victim's family.
Dhirendra, a close aide of Surendra Singh, had sprayed his rival with bullets after an altercation during the meeting convened by the officials to discuss allotment of fair price shops at Durjanpur village in the district. He was arrested along with nine others.
Upset over the support to the accused by Surendra Singh, the BJP leadership has issued him a show-cause notice and asked him not to interfere with the investigation.
The MLA had said that he was supporting the accused as both of them were from the same caste.