Bikaner/Jaipur:
Four people, including a history-sheeter and two villagers, were killed in a firing incident over an alleged gang rivalry in Churu district of Rajasthan on Friday, police said.
The target of the six assailants, who were members of the Sampat Nehra gang, was Pradeep Swamy, a history-sheeter with several cases in Hamirwas police station.
Swamy was sitting in Mauja village of the district when the accused men, who came on two motorcycles, opened indiscriminate fire leaving him and two other villagers sitting nearby dead on the spot.
“One of the assailants was also killed in the incident. The body bears bullet wounds but it is not clear how he received bullet injuries,” IG Bikaner Prafulla Kumar said.
He said another assailant was also injured in the incident but he did not receive any bullet injury.
Apart from Swamy, Nihal Singh and Hoshiyar Singh were the villagers who were also killed. The identity of the deceased assailant is being verified, the policeman said.
Churu SP Narayan Togas said the bodies were shifted to a mortuary for post-mortem.
Meanwhile, ADG-SOG sent DIG Randhir Singh and three other police officers from Jaipur to Churu on direction of the state DGP.
Primary investigation revealed that the attack was executed at the behest of notorious criminal Sampat Nehra, who is lodged in a jail in Punjab. Nehra and Swamy had an old rivalry.
“Swamy was the history sheeter and had 18 cases against him. He was also wanted in a recent murder case,” IG Kumar said.
After the incident which took place in the evening, heavy deployment of police was put up and the accused men were being searched.
Meanwhile, former chief minister Vasundhara Raje and Deputy Leader of Opposition Rajendra Rathore targeted the state government over the incident.
In a tweet, she said the incident in Hamirwas police station area of Churu presents the sorry state of affairs of law and order.
The senior BJP leader said the Congress government should answer on whose protection were the assailants there.
Rajendra Rathore, the Churu MLA, said the incident was proof of the state’s poor law and order.
The BJP leader said that due to the failure of the police, Churu district has become a haven for criminals.
