Lucknow: Gangster-politician Mukhtar Ansari’s aide Sanjeev Maheshwari Jeeva was shot dead on the premises of a Lucknow court on Wednesday, police said. A policeman and a two-year-old girl were injured in the incident.
The alleged assailant, identified as Vijay Yadav (24), a resident of Jaunpur district, was caught on the spot after the shooting took place right outside a courtroom at around 4 pm, police said. Eyewitnesses said the assailant was dressed as a lawyer and fired around six shots.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed the formation of a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the incident.
The assailant opened fire when Jeeva (48), who was serving a life term in a Lucknow jail, was brought to the court for hearing in a case, police officials said.
A resident of Muzaffarnagar district in Uttar Pradesh, Jeeva is an accused in the murder cases of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Krishnanand Rai and former state minister Brahm Dutta Dwivedi as well as in 22 other cases, including those of fraud and criminal conspiracy.
The girl and the police constable who sustained gunshot injuries in the shooting were rushed to a hospital, the officials said, adding that the child’s condition was critical while the constable was out of danger.
The accused hails from a village located within the Kerakat police station limits in Jaunpur. Circle Officer of the area Gaurav Sharma told that he worked as a plumber in Lucknow.