Explosion at ex-MLA Vijay Singh’s UP house leaves sons, others injured

KANPUR: Former Samajwadi Party MLA Vijay Singh's two sons, Avinash Singh alias Sikki and Vikki, were seriously injured in a massive explosion that occurred at his residence in Mohalla Machratta, Farrukhabad, around 7:30 pm on Tuesday.

Vijay Singh is serving a life sentence in Varanasi jail after being convicted for the murder of BJP leader and former energy minister Brahmdatt Dwivedi.

His wife and former Palika Adhyaksh, Damyanti Singh, claimed that someone had orchestrated the incident, which injured her sons and several others, besides shattering the windowpanes of the four-storey building and scattering valuable belongings kept in the rooms. Besides MLS's son, those injured include Bhaiyalal of Jasmai, Rashu of Rajiv Gandhi Nagar, Ishu Chaurasiya, Bhaiya Lal Chauhan, and another person identified as Rashu.

Rashu was admitted to Lohia Hospital, while the other injured were taken to a nursing home located at Sahabganj Chauraha. Vijay Singh's sons were also undergoing treatment at a private nursing home. Meanwhile, Bhaiya Lal was referred to a higher medical centre in Kanpur. District magistrate Ashutosh Kumar Dwivedi and superintendent of police Aarti Singh, along with other senior officials, reached the spot after receiving the information.

Aarti Singh said, "The injured have been hospitalised, and further investigations are underway to ascertain the exact cause of the explosion. Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) and forensic teams are conducting the investigation."

BJP leader and former energy minister Brahmdatt Dwivedi, a resident of Senapat, Farrukhabad, was shot dead on the night of Feb9, 1997. In this case, on May 27, 2017, Vijay Singh was found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment. Since then, he has been in jail and is currently lodged in Varanasi.