Rajput Karni Sena leader shot dead in Jaipur, protests erupt

Armed men on Tuesday shot dead Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi, the chief of the Hindu right-wing group Shri Rashtriya Rajput Karni Sena (SRRKS), in his Jaipur residence, said police, a murder that triggered fierce protests by Rajputs across Rajasthan.

SSRKS is a splinter group of the Sri Rajput Karni Sena, an outfit that shot to national infamy after its protests against the Sanjay Leela Bhansali film Padmaavat in 2018 over the alleged distortion of historical facts about the Rajput community.

Hours after the incident, a member of notorious jailed criminal Lawrence Bishnoi’s gang claimed responsibility for the murder in a social media post.

Investigators were still to identify the two assailants, who also shot dead Naveen Shekhawat, a man who accompanied them to Gogamedi’s house.

One of Gogamedi’s security guards was injured during the exchange of fire, said police, adding that a local resident walking down was also injured after the suspects shot him and robbed him of his two-wheeler to flee the spot.

“The assailants reached Gogamedi’s house in Shyam Nagar area in a white car around 1pm. They walked into his drawing room after getting permission from the security guard at the main gate,” said Jaipur police chief Biju George Joseph.

“The men spoke to Gogamedi for about 15 minutes before firing at him.”

The murder was captured on CCTV cameras installed in Gogamedi’s house, said Joseph.

The footage, which went viral on social media, showed the assailants shooting Gogamedi, who was sitting on a sofa in his drawing room, seemingly scrolling through his phone.

The police commissioner said the assailants shot Gogamedi four times. The first two bullets pierced his chest and head, while the men shot him in the back twice after he collapsed and fell to the ground.

Deputy commissioner of police (Jaipur South) Yogesh Goyal said, “After checking the CCTV footage, it was confirmed that Naveen Shekhawat was shot by one of the assailants. He was not one of the shooters but brought them to Gogamedi’s house in his car. He was Gogamedi’s neighbour and the owner of a local clothing shop in the area. Later, the shooters killed him too along with Gogamedi.”

Gogamedi’s security guard Ajit Singh, who was sitting on an adjacent sofa, also sustained bullet injury during an exchange of fire, Goyal said.

The SRRKS chief was taken to hospital, where he died minutes after being admitted.

“Singh and Hemrajwere shifted to the ICU,” said Joseph.

Gogamedi formed SRRKS in 2015 after being expelled from Sri Rajput Karni Sena over differences with the latter’s founder Lokendra Singh Kalvi.

Hours after the murder, Rohit Godara Kapurisar, who said he was associated with Lawrence Bishnoi’s gang, claimed responsibility for the shooting in a Facebook post.

“Brothers, I, Rohit Godara Kapurisar and Goldy Barar (Brar) are taking full responsibility for the murder of Sukhdev Gogamedi...He cooperated with our enemies to make them a strong organisation. Our enemies, be prepared...will see you soon...Lawrence#Bishnoi#Group...”

Bishnoi’s notorious gang has claimed responsibility for dozens of high-profile killings in Delhi, Haryana and Rajasthan, including of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala in 2022, and a gangster Raje Theth.The gangster, who has been imprisoned since 2014, has also threatened to murder actor Salman Khan.

Soon after the news of the incident broke, Gogamedi’s supporters and members of the Rajput community thronged his house and blocked key streets, demanding that the gunmen be arrested.

Violent protests soon mushroomed across the state, including Alwar, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur and Rajsamand.

Gogamedi’s supporters pelted stones at a Hanumangarh-bound Rajasthan Roadways bus carrying 25 passengers in Sadulpur city in Churu. Another mob blocked a road at Nangli Circle in Alwar, demanding “the perpetrators be killed in 48 hours”. Protesters in Jaisalmer and Taranagar set afire tires at bus stops and key thoroughfares.

Shri Rajput Karni Sena chief Mahipal Singh Makrana addressed protesters in Jaipur and threatened to derail the new Rajasthan chief minister’s oath-taking ceremony.

“If the culprits are not encountered as soon as possible, we will not let the new chief minister take the oath,” he said.

Rajasthan director general of police (DGP) Umesh Mishra said: “We are conducting search operations at Jaipur, in neighbouring districts, and several places in Bikaner. We have also asked the Haryana Police for their assistance in this case.”

Gogamedi’s family members refused to allow the police to take his body for an autopsy.

“We asked the police to provide him with proper security but they denied it. He knew that his life was under threat,” Gogamedi’s uncle said outside the hospital.

Meanwhile, a political firestorm kicked off in Rajasthan, where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stormed to power on Sunday, unseating the incumbent Congress government.

Union minister and BJP MP from Jodhpur, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, said “gang wars flourished” in the desert state during the Congress’s rule.

“Making the state crime-free will be our top priority as soon as the new BJP government takes oath,” he said.

The Congress retorted and said the BJP’s win had “emboldened criminals”.

Senior Congress leader Pramod Tewari said, “Under the Congress regime, culprits were nabbed within four hours. If in Jaipur, the capital, this is the situation, you can imagine for yourself what will happen.”