Hit by convoy of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh’s son, 2 bikers killed

Neeraj Mohan

New Delhi, May 29

Two persons were killed and another sustained critical injuries after being hit by a Toyota Fortuner, which was reportedly part of the convoy of BJP’s Kaiserganj candidate Karan Bhushan Singh in Uttar Pradesh’s Gonda district on Wednesday.

Karan is the son of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the incumbent Kaiserganj MP and former chief of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI).

As per the FIR, lodged on the complaint of one Chanda Begum, the incident took place around 9 am when her 17-year-old son Rehan and 24-year-old nephew Shahzade were riding a motorcycle. They were hit by the speeding SUV (UP 32HW 1800) coming from the opposite direction. Both died on the spot. A police official said the SUV lost control and also hit Sita Devi (60) who was walking on the roadside. She was admitted to a hospital.

In a video message, Radhesyam Rai, Additional Superintendent of Police, Gonda, said the police had impounded the vehicle and apprehended the driver. People close to Brij Bhushan confirmed the SUV was part of Karan’s convoy, but said he was travelling in another vehicle, a Toyota Land Cruiser.

Karan is vying for the Kaiserganj Lok Sabha seat, stepping in for his father. The SUV involved in the accident is said to be registered in the name of an entity owned by Brij Bhushan’s family.

It is learnt that the convoy was on its way to Huzurpur on the Colonelganj-Huzurpur Road when the mishap took place near Baikunth Degree College. There are reports of road blockades by agitated locals, who demanded accountability for the incident. The police reached the spot and took control of the situation.

The incident has cast a shadow over the BJP candidate’s election campaign, evoking a sharp response from opposition parties. The Congress linked it to the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri incident in which four protesting farmers were mowed down by an SUV belonging to the son of then Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra. “The BJP leaders’ obsession with power is such that they consider ordinary people as insignificant as insects,” the Congress said in a post on X.