Gujarat BJP functionary killed by her neighbours after quarrel; 3 held

Amreli, Nov 16 (PTI) A woman functionary of the BJP was allegedly killed by her neighbours in Dhari town of Gujarat’s Amreli district after a spat over an issue, police said on Thursday.

Following the incident which took place late Wednesday night, the Amreli police on Thursday arrested three persons on charges of killing 55-year-old Madhuben Joshi and injuring her son Ravi Joshi, district Superintendent of Police Himkar Singh said.

Joshi was a local BJP functionary who had earlier served as secretary of the party’s Amreli district unit and as an elected member of Dhari taluka panchayat.

The three accused have been identified as Rushik Mehta (22), Jayom Mehta (20) and Hariom Mehta (18), all residents of Shiv Nagar society in Dhari town, as per the police.

A preliminary probe revealed that the three accused, who live near Joshi’s house, picked up a fight with Joshi and her son Ravi following a minor accident outside Joshi’s residence, Singh said.

“Though the accident was minor, the three accused first engaged in a spat and then attacked Joshi and her son with swords, which they brought from their house. While Ravi received injuries, his mother died due to a deep wound on her arm as her vein got cut in the attack. We have arrested all the three accused,” the official told reporters.

Joshi’s another son Ritesh while talking to reporters claimed the accused held a grudge against Ravi since some time over an issue of bursting of firecrackers near their house. At that time, one of the accused had a spat with Ravi.

When Ravi was passing on his motorcycle on Wednesday, the three accused deliberately rammed their car into his two-wheeler, he alleged.

“When my mother and brother went to their house to scold them for this act, they attacked them with swords,” Ritesh charged.

“My mother died due to a deep wound on her arm,” he claimed.