Congress leader shoots lawyer dead after Diwali clash in UP

A lawyer was allegedly shot dead by a Congress leader following a dispute on Diwali evening in Uttar Pradesh’s Kannauj district, police said on Monday.

The victim, identified as Anuj Chaturvedi, was allegedly shot four to five times by Amol Dikshit, the outgoing general secretary of the Congress district unit. Dikshit fled the spot after the shooting and was yet to be arrested, police said.

According to the victim’s family, the incident began when Dikshit allegedly assaulted Anuj’s cousin, Basant Chaturvedi, over a minor issue. Basant subsequently informed Anuj, who took him to Dikshit’s house to confront him.

The confrontation escalated into a heated argument, with supporters of both sides joining in. Police said Dikshit went inside his house, returned with a pistol and allegedly opened fire at Anuj.

Anuj was rushed to a hospital but was declared dead on arrival.

The two families reportedly had differences over their political affiliations, with the Chaturvedis supporting the BJP while Dikshit was associated with the Congress.

Circle Officer Mayank Mishra said police teams had reached the spot soon after receiving information about the incident. Separate teams have been formed to trace Dikshit and others allegedly involved in the attack.

Shakir Ali, outgoing president of the Congress's Kannauj district unit, confirmed that Dikshit was the outgoing district general secretary. He said the district unit had been dissolved in August and a new unit was yet to be constituted.