A day after a Samajwadi Party (SP) supporter was allegedly murdered by BSP workers, tension prevailed in Ambedkarnagar. The brother of Athar Khan, BSP Lok Sabha candidate from Akbarpur, is among the accused.

Ram Ajor Yadav (55) was shot dead late on Wednesday evening allegedly by four persons in Sadullah Nagar, 10 kms from Ambedkarnagar.

Apart from Khan’s brother Guddu, the other accused are Mainullah, Phijju and Bhuttu.

On Monday, Yadav had lodged a complaint against them with Hanswar police, accusing them of misbehaving with his daughter. The men are currently out on bail. On Wednesday, they allegedly shot Yadav near his residence and fled.

Alleging police laxity in arresting the accused, a mob torched a few shops, including the local BSP office in Hanswar town. The police, however, said a cycle repair shop was set ablaze and not the BSP office. The locals, along with leaders of the SP and BJP, also blocked the Hanswar-Tanda main road, demanding immediate arrest of the accused. They also accused the district police of working under the influence of Athar Khan.

Khan, however, denied his involvement and alleged that his brother has been named in the case because of his increasing popularity.

On Thursday morning, meanwhile, the Faizabad police arrested BJP national general secretary and MP Vinay Katiyar in Ayodhya, while he was on his way to Hanswar to attend Ram Ajor Yadav’s cremation. “The police have arrested me on the instructions of local BSP leaders,” Katiyar alleged.

Faizabad Deputy Inspector General R K Rai said: “We have prevented Katiyar from going to Ambedkarnagar for security reasons. There were reports that his presence may increase tension in the area.”

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