A day after a 70-year-old local BJP leader was killed following a brawl in Varanasi, five people were arrested and nine police officials were suspended on Thursday. Police said the incident happened under Sigra police station on Wednesday night when a group of locals allegedly killed BJP leader Pashupati Nath Singh after he intervened in a brawl at a liquor shop. Singh’s son Rajkumar (41) was also injured in the attack. Varanasi Police Commissioner Satish A Ganesh said, “There is a liquor shop on a property that Pashupati Nath Singh owned. It was rented out to someone who ran a licensee liquor shop there. On Wednesday evening, some people got into a brawl at the shop. One of the workers told Singh’s son Rajkumar about it and he intervened. The matter was resolved and the men left. After some time, they came back with more men and assaulted Rajkumar. When Pashupati intervened, he received a couple of blows on the head, resulting in his death.” Police have lodged a case against 17 named accused based on a complaint filed from Pashupati's other son Rudresh Singh. The accused have been booked under IPC sections for murder, attempt to murder, rioting and other charges. “So far, five people have been arrested in the case. And we have formed five teams to arrest the other accused,” Ganesh added. He said, “For not taking timely action against the anti-social elements, the local outpost in charge along with two sub-inspectors, three head constables and four constables have been suspended.” BJP District President (Varanasi) Hansraj Vishwakarma said, “He was a dedicated BJP worker. He contested the election for corporator a few years ago, but lost. He was also a part of the RSS unit in Varanasi, and was a member of the BJP’s local committee.”
