The deceased was identified as Vijay Pandit, husband of Geeta Pandit, the chairperson of Nagar Palika Parishad (Dadri).

Eyewitnesses claimed that the assailants came on two motorcycles and held the pistol at temple and mouth of Pandit. They cornered Pandit when he was returning home from his brother’s shop at Bramhpuri.

The assailants fired several rounds and Pandit, a former district BJP vice-president, fell down on the ground bleeding.

The assailants then started firing in the air to scare away the people in the area. Pandit was taken to Mohan Swarup Hospital in Dadri and then shifted to Yashoda Hospital in Ghaziabad where he was declared dead.

Pandit’s supporters reached the site and a set ablaze around 16 vehicles near Dadri Kotwali on National Highway 91, causing heavy traffic jams.

Additional forces were deployed by District Magistrate AV Rajamouli to maintain law and order.

Pandit’s family accused the police of showing negligence, claiming that he was receiving continuous threats, but the police took no action.