A man was shot dead in Ghazipur flower market in the early hours of Monday allegedly due to a rivalry between two sparring groups of the area. Following the murder, the friends and family of the deceased, Rohit, 32, allegedly sat in protest on the Delhi-Meerut Expressway, causing traffic disruption up to several kilometers during the morning peak hours. Local residents blocked traffic, demanding swift action against the culprits responsible for the murder of a 32-year-old man. The traffic jam during the morning peak hour led to longer office hours. Several students who were supposed to appear in the Board examination were also stuck in the traffic.
Massive jam from Akshardham to Ghaziabad, forced Delhi Traffic Police has issued a travel advisory stating that traffic movement is affected on both carriageways of NH-24 due to the protest. "Commuters heading towards Indirapuram and Ghaziabad are advised to avoid NH-24 and use Noida Link Road as an alternate route. The incident has heightened tensions in the area, with allegations of organised crime and illegal activities surfacing.
According to police, the victim, identified as Rohit Chawda, was shot dead near Phool Mandi on National Highway-24 late Sunday night. According to Delhi Police, they received a medico-legal case (MLC) report from Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital, where Chawda was declared dead on arrival after suffering a gunshot wound. He was a resident of Ghazipur village and lived with his maternal uncle. The incident took place around 2 am in the Ghazipur area
Police said they have registered a case under sections of the Arms Act and for murder and two suspects have been detained. Multiple teams are investigating the case. "We received information that a man was injured. When police reached the hospital, we found that he had been shot. Two people have been detained, and further investigation is underway," said Vineet Kumar, Additional DCP-I, East District.The murder triggered strong protests in the area. Locals blocked the main road and raised slogans demanding immediate action.
One of the protesters, Virender Singh said, "We have a Hindu brother here in Ghazipur village. He was shot at night by jihadists. He was from the Gujar community. It happened around 2am. The problem was that these people were dominating the area, collecting money, and running illegal businesses. This brother spoke out against them and said this kind of domination won't be allowed. Because of that, he was shot twice and died on the spot. His name was Rohit. He was from Ghazipur, and his father is not around. He lived with his maternal uncle. He had three brothers, and he was the oldest."
Another protester, Chaudhary Karam Singh Rawat, said, "This is about the Delhi Police and the administration. If they wanted, they could have arrested the person who killed our child by now. We are suffering because of this. Muslims from Rohingya have settled here with money. If they wanted, the police could have arrested them by now. If we don't get justice, there will be violence and bloodshed. The road will be blocked until we get justice."
Lambasting the BJP government, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said that the law and order situation in Delhi has completely collapsed under BJP's "double-engine" government, with criminals operating fearlessly and broad daylight murders becoming routine.
"A young man was shot dead on the streets of Ghazipur, exposing the failure of the administration despite Union Home Minister Amit Shah's joint meeting with Delhi's Chief Minister and the police. With BJP in power, Delhi's people continue to feel unsafe as incidents of murder, robbery, and theft occur daily. However, instead of addressing the rising crime, CM Rekha Gupta and the BJP remain silent, their sole focus being relentless attacks on Arvind Kejriwal," the AAP said.
AAP leader and Kondli MLA, Kuldeep Kumar, lashed out at the BJP's so called "double-engine" government, calling it out for completely failing to maintain law and order in Delhi. Referring to the shocking murder in East Delhi's Ghazipur, he pointed out how criminals have become bolder. AAP's Chief Spokesperson, Priyanka Kakkar, highlighted the growing distress among Delhiites, who are now pleading with Chief Minister Rekha Gupta to tackle the deepening crisis of drug addiction. Drawing a stark contrast, the Chief AAP Spokesperson pointed to Punjab, where the AAP government has dismantled drug networks with 30,000 FIRs, the arrest of 6,500 smugglers, and a crackdown on corrupt law enforcement.
