New Delhi: Unidentified people fired at Aam Aadmi Party MLA Naresh Yadav’s convoy in southwest Delhi’s Kishangarh village late on Tuesday night, killing one party volunteer.
Yadav and his supporters were returning home after paying obeisance at a temple in his constituency, the police said. Seven rounds were reportedly fired at the convoy.
One person injured and admitted to Fortis Hospital, police said. An FIR has been registered.
In a tweet, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Sanjay Singh identified the slain volunteer as Ashok Mann. “Convoy of MLA Naresh Yadav attacked in Mehrauli, Ashok Mann killed. Naresh Yadav was returning home after visiting a temple,” Singh said in a tweet in Hindi.
The party too confirmed this in a tweet, saying it had lost a “family member”.
Shots fired at AAP MLA@MLA_NareshYadav
and the volunteers accompanying him while they were on way back from temple.At least one volunteer has passed away due to bullet wounds. Another is injured.
— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) February 11, 2020
Volunteer Ashok Mann has passed away in the attack at AAP MLA @MLA_NareshYadav
Today we have lost one of our family member. May his soul rest in peace.
— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) February 11, 2020
The attacked occurred hours after AAP won the Delhi assembly elections by a landslide. The party won 62 of the 70 seats in the assembly, with the Bharatiya Janata Party winning the other eight. Yadav was elected from the Mehrauli constituency for the second time.
“The incident is really unfortunate. I do not know the reason behind the attack but it happened all of a sudden. Around 4 rounds were fired. The vehicle I was in was attacked. I am sure if Police inquires properly, they will be able to identify the assailant,” ANI quoted Yadav as saying.
Yadav said that he could have been killed. “Two people were shot in which Ashok Mann Ji has died and Harender Ji was injured. I do not know whether they attacked me in particular but they certainly targeted our convoy. Anybody could have been shot in this attack including me,” he said.
The police has claimed that the target was not Yadav but Mann, and that there was one assailant.
Southwest Addl DCP Ingit Pratap Singh on firing on the convoy of AAP MLA, Naresh Yadav last night: The investigation so far reveals that there was one assailant. Naresh Yadav wasn’t the target.The assailant had specifically come to target the man who was shot dead (AAP volunteer) pic.twitter.com/Kzxc06hVZy
— ANI (@ANI) February 12, 2020
AAP has in the past criticised the police for not managing law and order in the union territory as it should. The Delhi police comes under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.
(With PTI inputs)