A senior BJP leader sustained severe injuries after a gang of unidentified assailants opened fire at his SUV in Rawli Road area on Thursday night.
Police said BJP leader Brij Pal Teotia sustained about five gunshot wounds after his car was attacked around 8pm in Murad Nagar.
An officer said Teotia was travelling with five others, including his bodyguards, all of who sustained bullet injuries. Police suspect the use of automatic weapons during the incident as nearly 30 rounds were allegedly fired.
“Teotia was coming from Murad Nagar to Ghaziabad when the men caught up his SUV from both sides. They then opened indiscriminate fire and fled the spot,” said superintendent of police (rural), Rakesh Kumar Pandey.
The BJP said Teotia was rushed to a hospital in Ghaziabad from where he was later shifted to Fortis, Noida. Doctors said Teotia’s condition was critical.
“This is the condition of law and order in the state. Everyone in the car sustained bullet injuries. Calls were made to emergency number 100, but police arrived at the scene after 30 minutes,” said BJP city president, Ajay Sharma.
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav rushed additional director general of police (Law and Order), Daljit Singh Chawdhary, and inspector general, special task force (STF), Ram Kumar, to Ghaziabad to oversee the operation launched by the district police to nab the attackers.
“The police recovered AK- 47, two pistols, one rifle and a large cache of ammunition used in the attack on the BJP leader. The STF has been directed to assist the local police in the operation. Teams had been constituted and raids are being conducted in Ghaziabad and neighbouring districts to nab the desperadoes who are on run,” Chawdhary said.
On Thursday evening director general of police, Javeed Ahmad, held a meeting with the senior officers to monitor the situation. The senior superintendent of police, Ghaziabad, was also directed to deploy police forces at sensitive spots and conduct search operation on highways.