BSP leader shot dead, assailants caught on CCTV camera

Zeenews Bureau

New Delhi: A politician belonging to the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) was killed at his farmhouse here on Tuesday morning by two unidentified gunmen. Deepak Bharadwaj was shot dead after he had a tiff with the two men, who had entered his farmhouse in the Vasant Kunj area of South Delhi. The two men, who were in a black Skoda car, shot Bharadwaj after a heated argument at the latter’s farmhouse `Nitish Kunj` at around 9:15 am. Meanwhile, the CCTV footage of the shooting accessed by Zee News shows the attackers leaving the farmhouse in their car. In the footage one of the assailants is clearly seen brandishing a gun at the guards. Subsequently, they open the gate of the farmhouse and leave, with the guards unable to stop them. Two others also suffered injuries in the incident. "As they were talking, the two men took out firearms and opened fire at Bharadwaj. They then fled from the scene. The motive and the trigger for the firing is not immediately known. We are investigating the matter," a police official said. Police believe that the two attackers were known to Bharadwaj as they were allowed inside the farmhouse by his security guards. 62-year-old Bharadwaj, who had contested the 2009 Lok Sabha elections on a BSP ticket and was one of the richest candidates at that time with assets worth around Rs 600 crores, was rushed to Army`s Research and Referral Hospital near Dhaula Kuan where he succumbed to injuries nearby Fortis Hospital. Bharadwaj was also into education, hotel and real estate business. The incident came just months after liquor baron Ponty Chadha was also killed in a shootout at his farmhouse in South Delhi. Chadha was also close to BSP chief Mayawati.