Accused names BJP corporator for attack that hurt dy mayor

The accused have been arrested under Section 307 of the IPC for attempt to murder, after Deputy Mayor Sunita Shukla sustained injuries on her head and face.

The probe into the stone-pelting incident at the Vadodara Municipal Corporation’s (VMC) housing scheme inauguration at Gotri on Monday, in which deputy Mayor Sunita Shukla was injured, has taken a new twist with the arrested accused naming the sitting BJP corporator of the area for orchestrating the attack. Arrested former Congress student leader Narayan Rajput alias Saddam, in the Vadodara district court on Wednesday, said he carried out the attack on the event, attended by Gujarat Cabinet Minister Saurabh Patel, at the behest of corporator Rajesh Ayare.

Gotri police produced six arrested accused in the court on Wednesday. Rajput told the Magistrate that the attack was carried out by the group at the behest of Ayare, who was against the affordable housing project in the area. The accused have been arrested under Section 307 of the IPC for attempt to murder, after Deputy Mayor Sunita Shukla sustained injuries on her head and face. The police are now gearing to arrest Ayare for conspiracy under the same charges.

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Officers of the Gotri police said that they were trying to locate Ayare to arrest him, but the Corporator was untraceable. According to sources in the BJP, the probe is likely to bring to the fore the split in the party factions as Ayare is backed by a group of leaders in the anti-Saurabh Patel faction. “Ayare has no option, but to surrender. It will open more can of worms before the civic polls as he will also reveal names of other leaders. The incident is unfortunate. However, the party will cooperate in the probe since the Deputy Mayor has been injured and hospitalised,” a senior party leader said. “We will follow the due process of law and anyone who is involved in the attack will be probed,” said Commissioner of Police E Radhakrishnan. Attempts to reach Ayare were unsuccessful.

On Monday, at the ceremony to lay the foundation stone of an affordable housing colony for the LIG under Mukhyamantri Gruh Awas Yojana at Gotri in Vadodara, protesting locals had pelted stones at the BJP leaders of the civic body.

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