Unidentified men shot dead a Hindutva leader and a drug supplier in Moradabad on Sunday evening in what appears to be the fallout of a gang rivalry.

Kamal Chauhan, district president of the Hindu Samaj Party, was a history sheeter and had been arrested in March for possessing around 1kg of hashish, sent to jail and granted bail.

Moradabad superintendent of police Kumar Ranvijay Singh said that primary investigations had revealed that Sunny Diwakar and his gang members were behind the murder.

Sunny, also engaged in the supply of drugs, was under the impression that Kamal was trying to sabotage his business, Singh said.

“There were several cases against Kamal, including the supply of illegal substances. There was a general perception that he was also working against Sunny’s gang. Kamal had gone to Katghar market on a scooter along with his cousin Vishal. While returning to his home in Durgesh Nagar, the killers shot him and escaped on their motorcycles,”
Singh added.

Govind Saini, the brother-in-law of the deceased, was quoted as saying to the police that Sunny had threatened him four days ago but Kamal continued working against him.

“Kamal had no criminal past. Most of the cases filed against him were false,” Saini claimed.

Kamal’s wife, Mamata, said: “Sunny and his gang member, Vicky Diwakar, were fired at my husband. Several eyewitnesses have confirmed this. We have three small children, and they all want justice.”

“The police can’t downplay the murder by stating that my husband was a history-sheeter. I’ll set myself on fire if the police don’t arrest the killers soon,” she added.

Priyanshu Joshi, president of the Hindu Samaj Party, said: “Kamal was a trusted party member. It is a political murder.”