Varanasi: Raj Singh, a native of Ballia who was arrested for the murder of West Bengal Chief Minister Shubhendu Adhikari's aide Chandrakant Rath, was previously jailed in 2020 for the murder of a disabled egg seller named Ajeet Gupta. He was out on bail at the time of the recent arrest.
Forensic Evidence Links Pistol to Both Crimes
The forensic science lab report confirmed that the bullet extracted from Ajeet Gupta's body was fired from the same pistol recovered from Raj when he was arrested two days after the killing, Ballia district government counsel (criminal) Sanjeev Singh told TOI. Raj and his two aides, Govinda Singh and Pankaj Sharma, were arrested for Gupta's murder.
Trial in Ballia Court
The case is under trial in a Ballia court, and the police have submitted the chargesheet, postmortem report, and forensic lab report on the pistol recovered from Raj's possession and the bullet extracted from Gupta's body, said Singh. The next hearing in the case is on May 19, and the court has summoned all witnesses. Singh added that the trial is in its final stage.
Police Reluctant to Share Criminal History
Ballia police officials, however, are reluctant to provide details of Raj's criminal history. “The criminal record of Raj Singh has been sought. So far it came to light that following the egg seller’s killing in 2020, he was caught with a pistol,” Ballia Superintendent of Police Omvir Singh told TOI.
Social Media Posts with Politicians
On his Facebook profile, Raj posted some photographs with politicians. Ajeet's father, Paras Gupta, who is waiting for justice, said his eldest son was the sole bread earner of the family despite being physically challenged. Ajeet only asked Raj to clear dues of Rs 50 for the eggs consumed by him, and that prompted the murder, recalled Paras.
“On Oct 13, 2020, night, Ajeet was heading to his shop on his tricycle when Raj and his accomplices shot him dead. We lodged an FIR against Raj, Govinda and Pankaj on the same night, and two days after the incident police arrested the trio,” said Paras.
Bail and Political Connections
The district court denied them bail, but they approached the high court, which granted bail. After coming out of jail, Raj, a resident of Anand Nagar in Ballia city, started getting closer to some influential politicians, especially from Ballia.
Paras said that now his younger son runs an egg stall to feed the family and also arranges expenses for the court. He wants capital punishment for the three accused.
