Haryana Congress leader and spokesperson Vikas Chaudhary was shot dead in full public view by unknown armed assailants when he was returning from a gym in Faridabad on Thursday around 9am. The killers pumped in 10 bullets into the spokesperson of the Haryana Congress. CCTV footage of the incident showed masked men firing indiscriminately at his car.
The 34-year-old Congress leader was rushed by locals to hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.
According to a senior Faridabad police official, several rounds were fired at Chaudhary while he was taking his car from the parking lot outside the gym. Police are yet to identify the assailants.
“Upon hearing the gunshot noise, people rushed to the spot and Chaudhary was rushed to Sarvodaya Hospital where he was declared brought dead. The entire incident was caught on a CCTV camera and 12 spent cartridges were recovered from the crime scene,” said the official. Two masked men who opened fire at the Congress leader are visible in the video. The duo managed to flee the spot unchallenged despite presence of several people in the vicinity.
The police claimed that four men were involved in the crime, and they came in a Maruti Suzuki SX4 car.
Prima facie it appears that it is a planned attack, police said, adding that he was alone at the time of the incident and the bullets hit him in the neck and chest.
A murder case has been registered and police are scanning the CCTV footage to identify the accused, the officer said, adding, several police teams have also been formed to search for them.
Chaudhary had recently switched to the Congress after leaving the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD).
Congress president Rahul Gandhi condemned the killing and said it reflects the deteriorating law-and-order situation in the State.
Rahul Gandhi tweeted in Hindi, “The killing of Congress spokesperson and leader Vikas Chaudhary in Faridabad is a condemnable, shameful and tragic incident. It reflects the deteriorating law-and-order situation in Haryana. May Chaudhary’s soul rest in peace and may God provide his family the strength to bear this loss.”
Haryana Congress president Ashok Tanwar said, “It’s jungle raj here, there is no fear of law. Same kind of incident happened yesterday where a woman who opposed molestation was stabbed. There should be an investigation.”