Former MP’s nephew shot dead, two held

Vadodara: A nephew of former MP and Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED) chairman Ramsinh Rathwa was shot dead in Chhota Udepur district on Friday night.
The former MP's nephew, Kuldip Rathwa (33), was shot dead in Pipaldi village of Kawant taluka. Two men on a motorcycle rode up to Kuldip at about 9.45pm on Friday night and shot him dead.
Political rivalry over panchayat elections is said to be the motive. Two men — Shankar and Amla Rathwa —have been arrested for the killing.
Police said Kuldip had a running feud with Shankar Rathwa. After Kuldip defeated Shankar in the panchayat election, there were repeated confrontations between them. Both lived in Pipaldi.
An FIR filed by Kuldip's brother, Rajpalsinh Rathwa, states that on Friday night, Kuldip was walking home after meeting some people when a gunshot was heard.
Villagers saw two men fleeing on a motorcycle who were identified as Shankar and Amla Rathwa. Amla was driving while Shankar was riding pillion.
According to Rajpalsinh, the villagers also saw Shankar carrying a firearm. One villager called someone a distance away to stop them, but they managed to get away.
Till this point, Rajpalsinh and the others were unaware that Kuldip had been shot. He was discovered lying on the ground only after villagers went towards where the shot was fired. Kuldip was rushed to a hospital in Kawant but was declared dead.
An FIR for the killing was registered in the early hours of Saturday and Shankar was arrested soon after. Amla was arrested later in the day.
Chhota Udepur in-charge superintendent of police Gaurav Agarwal said that the firearm used — a double-barrelled shotgun — has been recovered. Agarwal said the gun was licensed. According to police, Shankar had retired from the Army.
Former MP Ramsinh Rathwa told mediapersons that Kuldip was hardworking and raised his voice against wrongdoing. He said the accused may have conspired to kill Kuldip as they found him to be a hurdle in their making money by wrong means. Ramsinh has been a member of both Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.