Engineer shot at in Bahraich

A Junior Engineer posted with the Mandi Parishad Department in Bahraich was shot at by two motorcycle-borne men in City Kotwali area of the district on Saturday.

Ashok Kumar Kanaujia (44) ,who sustained a bullet injury in his chest,has been admitted in Lucknow’s CSMMU Trauma Centre,where doctors said his condition was critical. The Bahraich Superintendent of Police (SP),Ram Bharose,said Kanaujia had left home to attend panchayat poll counting duty at Visheshwarganj in his Maruti car. Around 200 yards away,the youths fired at him,hitting him on the chest. Kanaujia later told police that his colleague,Junior Engineer Jagdish Prasad Rao and a contractor,Udaiveer Singh,orchestrated the attack.

An inquiry is pending against them over irregularities in a contract and they suspected his role in getting the inquiry ordered,the SP said. Rao was arrested and a hunt is on for Singh and his associate Arun Singh.