Sonipat:

A BJP leader from Haryana’s Sonipat, Surendra Jawahar, was shot dead by his neighbour inside a shop over a land dispute on Friday night. The accused, Monu, fired at least two bullets at the BJP leader, officials said.

The incident took place around 9:30 pm.

CCTV footage shows Monu pushing Mr Jawahar into a shop and pointing a gun at his head. Mr Jawahar was heard shouting “Maar diya maar diya” (He’s killed me) in the video. Two to three people tried to pull him away, but he fired the shots at the BJP leader and fled the scene.

The BJP leader died on the spot.

The accused was arrested on Saturday morning, officials said.

A preliminary investigation revealed that the BJP leader had bought land from Monu’s uncle and aunt. Since then, there had been a rivalry between the two over the land, with Monu warning Mr Jawahar not to step his foot on the land. However, when Mr Jawahar visited the land to clear the issue, enraged Monu chased him and killed him.

“Yesterday, we got information that a bullet was fired in Jawahra village, and Surendra Jawahar was shot and killed. The person who was killed had bought land from his uncle and aunt. They had a dispute over it, due to which this murder took place,” a senior police official said.

The BJP leader’s body has been sent for post-mortem and the accused is being questioned, police said.

In neighbouring Punjab, a Shiv Sena leader, Mangat Rai Manga, was shot dead by three people on a bike in Moga on Thursday night. The accused initially opened fire at the outfit’s district unit president, but the bullet missed him and hit a 12-year-old boy. Manga immediately fled on a two-wheeler, with his attackers chasing him.

During the chase, the accused shot at the Shiv Sena leader, this time successfully. Manga was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was declared dead.

Three people have been arrested in the case, officials said.