Surendra Singh was the former head of Baraulia village in Amethi.
A former village head in Uttar Pradesh's Amethi, considered close to newly-elected MP Smriti Irani, was shot dead by two unidentified men on Saturday night, police said Sunday.
Additional Superintendent of Police Daya Ram said Surendra Singh (50), the former head of Baraulia village, was shot at late last night. The village falls under Jamo police station in the district.
He was referred to Lucknow in a serious condition and he succumbed to his injuries during treatment, the police officer said, adding two people have been detained in connection with the incident and further investigation was underway.
Baraulia village was in news during campaigning in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections, as Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had accused Smriti Irani of distributing shoes to the residents in order to insult Rahul Gandhi.
Locals claim that Surendra Singh was considered close to Irani and he was involved in the distribution of footwear. Irani used to regularly meet local leaders including former and current village heads in the constituency during campaigning.
In the general elections, the Congress suffered a major embarrassment with Rahul Gandhi losing the party's stronghold Amethi to BJP's Smriti Irani by 55,120 votes.
Surendra Singh was reportedly celebrating the victory of Irani in his village. He was shot dead later in the night. While police have taken a few suspects in custody, they refused to divulge details about the motive of the murder.
"He was shot around 3 AM. We've taken a few suspects into custody. Investigation on. It can be due to an old dispute or a political dispute," Amethi SP Rajesh Kumar said.
Further investigation is underway.
(With inputs from PTI, Zee News correspondent Sateesh Barnawal)
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