A man was shot dead in Chandauli district of eastern Uttar Pradesh following a heated argument. The victim, Santosh Maurya, was the younger brother of Dr Pradeep Maurya, the district vice president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The incident took place on Saturday morning.

According to police, the accused, Devendra alias Prakash Jaiswal, was intoxicated at the time of the incident. He reportedly began verbally abusing people near Santosh Maurya’s grocery shop, next to Dr Pradeep Maurya’s dispensary. When Santosh and others objected to his behaviour, Devendra was removed from the spot.

However, shortly after, Devendra returned with a double-barrel gun and again began creating a scene. As Santosh stepped outside his shop and asked him to stop, Devendra allegedly placed the gun to his chest and fired at close range.

Santosh collapsed immediately. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared him dead.

Following the incident, senior BJP leaders and local MLAs arrived at the scene. The police also acted swiftly and arrested Devendra Jaiswal along with the weapon used in the crime. He sustained minor injuries and has been admitted to a hospital.

Additional Superintendent of Police (Operations) Digambar Kushwaha confirmed that an FIR has been registered and further legal proceedings are underway. The body has been sent for post-mortem examination.

– Ends