Congress candidate from the Morena Lok Sabha seat in Madhya Pradesh, Satyapal Sikarwar, alleged on Saturday that a deadly attack took place on his younger cousin Narendra Singh Sikarwar and a sarpanch in Morena district. According to news agency ANI, the incident occurred in Ruar village, under the jurisdiction of Ambah police station in the district, at around 12:30 pm on Saturday. During the attack, the accused fired three to four rounds, but they did not hit anyone.
Satyapal Singh Sikarwar claimed that his younger brother was campaigning for the upcoming polls, and during the campaign, Sonu Tomar fatally attacked his brother and other members of the Gram Panchayat.
"I received information that my younger brother Narendra Singh Sikarwar, who is a district member, was campaigning for the upcoming polls with the Sarpanch (Guddu Tomar) in Ruar village. During the campaign, Sonu Tomar fatally attacked my brother and other members of the Gram Panchayat. He fired several rounds at them. I have spoken to the administration in this regard," Satyapal Singh Sikarwar said.
"I want to appeal that this election is between two people, and it should happen peacefully. The BJP's defeat is visible, that's why it is getting nervous. My family members are campaigning peacefully from door to door. If they are being attacked, I feel it is an attack on democracy, and this is not good for anyone. I appeal to everyone to maintain peace and conduct the elections peacefully," Sikarwar added.
Speaking on the alleged incident, Morena Additional SP Arvind Thakur said that there are two parties: Guddu Tomar (village sarpanch) and Sonu Tomar (accused), and the victim and the accused are old rivals. Thakur further stated that the two had a spat during the Panchayat elections as well.
"A firing incident occurred in Ruar village under Ambah police station in the district. There are two parties: Guddu Tomar (village sarpanch) and Sonu Tomar (accused). The latter was the one who fired. The victim and the accused are old rivals and have had a spat during the Panchayat elections as well. It is a matter of investigation as to when and why the incident happened," Thakur said.
According to the FIR, on the complaint of Guddu Tomar, a case has been registered against four people, including Sonu Tomar, under Indian Penal Code (IPC) 307 and 34, and further investigation into the matter is underway. Morena will go to polls in the third phase on May 7 with eight other parliamenatry seats in the state, as reported by ANI.
Polling for the Lok Sabha in Madhya Pradesh is set to be conducted in four phases, with the next three phases of voting scheduled for April 26, May 7, and May 13. The counting of votes has been scheduled for June 4.
Madhya Pradesh is the sixth-largest state in terms of members it sends to the Lower House, with a total of 29 Lok Sabha constituencies. Of these, 10 seats are reserved for SC and ST candidates, while the remaining 19 are unreserved.