Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sanjeev Mishra was shot dead by unidentified persons in Kathihar district allegedly over an old dispute on Monday, the police said.
Officials said that the incident occurred in the Balrampur police station area on Monday morning. Mishra was standing outside his house, when two bike-borne miscreants came, shot him in the head, and fled from the spot. Locals and family members hearing the gunshots reached the spot and found Mishra lying in a pool of blood. They rushed him to a nearby hospital, where he was declared dead, the police said.
Soon after the news about his death spread, locals of the area gathered in the area and started protesting. They even blocked the road demanding immediate action in the incident. This forced the police to reach the area and bring the situation under control, and the body was sent for post-mortem examination. The police suspect that the unidentified accused managed to cross the Bengal border as the area is close to it.
Prima facie, it appears to be a case of an old dispute, and things will be clear only after the statements of the family. Further investigation of the matter is on, said, officials. This was not the first attack on Mishra. He was shot by unidentified people in the past too, and survived the attack, they added.