Umesh Pal's bodyguard tried to catch the attacker, but he too was shot
A witness in the murder case of an MLA in Uttar Pradesh was shot dead in Prayagraj on Friday. The attack was caught on multiple CCTV cameras.
Umesh Pal, a key witness in the murder case of Bahujan Samaj Party MLA Raju Pal in 2005, was shot dead by an unidentified man while he was getting out of the backseat of a Hyundai Creta SUV in Prayagraj.
CCTV footage shows Umesh Pal and one of his two police bodyguards getting out of the SUV when suddenly a man came from behind and shot him. The police said some other men used crude bombs during the assault, which exploded in a cloud of smoke, leading to panic and chaos on the road with people running to safety. Many abandoned their vehicles and ran towards shops.
Umesh Pal's bodyguard tried to catch the attacker, but he too was shot. The second bodyguard also caught a bullet.
Umesh Pal, who appeared to be injured, ran towards an alley with the attacker in pursuit while his bodyguards lay injured on the road. The attacker shot him there for a final time before fleeing.
Atiq Ahmed, a don and former Lok Sabha MP serving time in a Gujarat jail, is an accused in the 2005 murder case.
Umesh Pal was taken to a local hospital, where he died during treatment, the police said.
The condition of one of the bodyguards is critical and he has been put on ventilator, while doctors are performing a surgery on the other, the police said.
"The incident happened right outside Umesh Pal's home. So far it has been confirmed that two bombs were thrown and he was fired at by a small firearm," Prayagraj police chief Ramit Sharma told reporters.
A murder case has been filed.
"We have formed eight teams to investigate every aspect of the incident and arrest those behind the attack," Mr Sharma said.