New Delhi: Prominent Rajput leader Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi was shot dead at his residence in Jaipur on Tuesday, December 5, leading to protests in several parts of Rajasthan by Rashtriya Rajput Karni Sena, a community outfit that the slain leader led.
A video of the horrific incident going viral on social media shows the assailants – three in number – suddenly opening fire at Gogamedi at a close range after having tea with him. The assailants pump at least four bullets into his body. As Gogamedi slumps to the ground, they fire one last shot in the back before exiting.
Surprised by the attack, Gogamedi’s security guard opens fire killing one of the three attackers while the other two run away. Although Gogamedi was rushed to the Metro Mass Hospital nearby, he was declared brought dead.
VIDEO | CCTV footage shows two men firing multiple shots at Rashtriya Rajput Karni Sena president Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi and another man standing at the door.
Gogamedi died, while one of his security personnel and another person were injured in the firing.
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Jaipur police commissioner Biju George Joseph said, “Prima facie, it seems that two people shot Gogamedi at his house in Shyam Nagar. One of the assailants, identified as Naveen Singh Shekhawat, was also shot dead in retaliatory firing. A friend of Gogamedi is critically injured, and one of the security personnel was also shot in the leg.”
The incident took place in Jaipur’s Sena office in Shyam Nagar, which is located a kilometre from Shyam Nagar Police Station.
Union minister and senior BJP leader Gajendra Singh Shekhawat accused the outgoing Ashok Gehlot government of not providing adequate security to Gogamedi. “He wasn’t given adequate security even after he reported threats to his life to the police. After forming the government in Rajasthan, we will ensure peace and calm in the state. I assure you that those involved in this incident will not be spared. I appeal to the public to maintain peace.”
Mahipal Makrana, the national president of Shri Rajput Karni Sena, expressed his disappointment with the BJP. Gogimedi’s Rashtriya Rajput Karni Sena emerged as a splintered group in 2015 from Makrana’s Shri Rajput Karni Sena, a community-based outfit.
“This is just the beginning. We consistently witness the killing of our Rajput brothers in the BJP’s regime. I cannot recall a single incident that occurred against the Rajput community in the last five years (under Gehlot’s government), but our community feels unsafe under this government,” Makrana told The Wire.
“Five years ago, we used to hear about crimes against our community every month, and this has begun again,” he added. Meanwhile, the BJP, which has emerged victorious in the assembly elections, is yet to take over the reins of the Rajasthan government from the Congress government led by Gehlot.
Gogamedia was a well-known Rajput leader and was a supporter of the Congress party. He also backed the Gehlot government during the recently concluded assembly elections. A couple of months ago, Gogamedi, in a Mahapanchayat, demanded the Union government to increase the reservations to economically weaker sections (EWS) from the current 10% to 14%.
“As per initial reports, four people entered a house where Gogamedi was present and opened fire at him. One of Gogamedi’s security personnel and another person were injured in the firing,” Rajasthan director general of police (DGP) Umesh Mishra told news agency PTI.
Rohit Godara Kapurisar, a member of the notorious Lawrence Bishnoi gang, has claimed responsibility for the murder in a post on Facebook. “We fully take our responsibility for the killing of Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi. We carried out this murder. It is important to inform you that he supported our adversaries and actively worked to bolster their strength,” he said, adding that other “enemies” could meet the same fate as Gogamedi.
Former deputy chief minister and Congress leader Sachin Pilot demanded the police to bring the killers to book. “The news of the murder of Shri Rashtriya Rajput Karni Sena President Shri Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi ji is sad. I express my condolences to his family and supporters and demand that the criminals be arrested as soon as possible and given strict punishment,” Pilot tweeted in her Hindi.
श्री राष्ट्रीय राजपूत करणी सेना के अध्यक्ष श्री सुखदेव सिंह गोगामेड़ी जी की हत्या की खबर दुःखद है।
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— Sachin Pilot (@SachinPilot) December 5, 2023
