Shots were fired when the recently inducted Bharatiya Janata Party leader Yashpal Arya was on his way to the collectorate to submit his nomination papers for Bazpur Vidhan Sabha constituency in Udham Singh Nagar district on Wednesday.
Arya termed the firing as a ploy to annihilate him. Notably, a Cabinet Minister of the Harish Rawat Government, he joined BJP on January 16, along with his son Sanjeev Arya and Kedar Singh Rawat, another Congress leader.
He along with son and Rawat was given the BJP tickets a few hours after they joined the party, jolting the Congress ahead of the crucial election. Perceived as an important Dalit face of the party, he elicited criticism from the Congress which dubbed the defection as an opportunistic move.
Firing on, the large number of supporters who accompanied Arya during the nomination submission process scampered for safety. Sources said two warring groups known as Pidda and Namdhari groups opened fire, aiming at the rivals.
Soon after the incident, Arya said that it was part of a move to assassinate him.
“It is clear that those politically hostile to me instigated the attack. My supporters organised the procession to show solidarity behind me when I was about to file nomination. The attack was unprovoked and pre-meditated,” he said.