Lucknow, September 5
The law and order situation in UP received a fresh jolt late last night when Samajwadi Party MLC Ajit Singh and a 12-year-old boy were shot dead at his birthday bash at a motel in Unnao on the Lucknow-Kanpur highway.

The incident occurred at Fantasy Resort owned by Pankaj Gupta where the MLC had thrown a birthday party for a select band of about 100 persons. Amidst flowing liquor and DJ dancing gunshots were also fired as part of the celebrations. According to sources, one such shot may have accidentally hit the Samajwadi Party MLC in the head, who later succumbed to his injuries at Kanpur’s Regency Hospital.

Later, the FIR filed by Mr Arvind Singh, a brother of the deceased, named Independent MLA from Rae Bareilly Akhilesh Singh and BJP leader Ramesh Kalia and three others as the accused. While all five accused were not present at the party, Mr Arvind Singh has stated to have seen them there.

Incidentally, Mr Akhilesh Singh, a strongman from Rai Bareilly and now reportedly close to the ruling party, was a business rival of the deceased in getting hold of lucrative railway contracts. He was in the news when he tried to create trouble in Rai Bareilly during Sonia Gandhi’s election campaign.

PTI, UNI add: The police said Binu, a 12-year-old boy who injured in the shooting at the motel, died this afternoon in the hospital. Binu was an electrician attached with the orchrestra party of the motel.

Inspector-General of Police (Lucknow zone) Sulkhan Singh told UNI that the MLC was shot at from close range.

Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav along with several of his ministerial colleagues went to the MLC’s residence here to pay their condolence to the leader.

Condemning the incident, the Chief Minister said an inquiry had been ordered.

Mr Akhilesh Singh denied he was in any way involved in the killing and demanded a CBI probe into the matter.