2015 BSP leader murder: All 15 accused acquitted

ALIGARH: All the 15 accused in the 2015 murder case of BSP leader Dharmendra Chaudhury, who was a declared candidate for 2017 UP assembly from Atrauli constituency were on Wednesday acquitted for want of evidence by additional district judge Suresh Chandra.

On January 10, 2015, Chaudhury was allegedly shot dead by unidentified assailants near Banna Devi police station here. According to police, two men on a motorcycle fired at him and sped away. Chaudhury was the MLA from Atrauli constituency here.

Complainants Chandra Pal Singh and the wife of the murdered leader, Sangeeta Chowdhury, who was removed from BSP for uploading her pictures with Mayawati, had filed a compliant against 15 unidentified. On January 25, 2015, six people were arrested and the accused surrendered at different times in that year.

Since Chaudhury was also a builder and partner in a construction company, police suspected that property dispute could have been the reason for the murder. Advocate Neeraj Chauhan told TOI, "There was no evidence against the accused. An FIR was filed against 15 unidentified men. It was said that two men came on a bike and fired shots. Another eyewitness said four men on two bikes fired at the BSP leader, but no one could be identified. No test identification parade was conducted. Also, 11 cartridges were found on the spot, but no weapon of that caliber was found."

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