“The assassination of Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi, the leader of Karni Sena, at his residence in Jaipur on December 5, triggered a political controversy just two days after the Congress suffered defeat to the BJP in the Rajasthan assembly election, as reported by Hindustan Times. In response to the murder, the Karni Sena called for a Rajasthan bandh on Wednesday, while the BJP alleged that it was an act of retribution by the Congress for losing the state. BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala shared a video where Gogamedi claimed that the police had warned Congress CM Ashok Gehlot about the security threat against him.
The murder, captured on CCTV, involved three assailants on motorcycles who fired shots into Gogamedi’s house. The footage of the incident circulated on social media, revealing that one of Gogamedi’s security guards was injured during the retaliation. In the exchange of gunfire, one of the attackers was killed. Initially, the police reported that Gogamedi’s security guards had shot the attacker before he was killed by his accomplices.
After the election results were announced on December 3, in which the Congress lost to the BJP, Gogamedi attributed the defeat to the Congress ignoring the Karni Sena. The Rajasthan Police identified the culprits as part of the Rohit Godara gang, associated with the Goldie Brar and Lawrence Bishnoi gangs. Gogamedi’s supporters threatened a statewide shutdown if prompt action was not taken in response to his killing.
Prominent political figures, including Ashok Gehlot (Congress), Sachin Pilot (BJP), and Rajyavardhan Rathore (RJD), condemned the killing while the BJP was in the process of forming a new government. Despite the BJP assuming power, Congress leader Supriya Shrinate criticized it as a return to jungle raj. Notably, the BJP has not announced any names for the chief minister’s post, and the Congress continues to control the caretaker government in the state.
On December 3, Shehzad Poonawala claimed that ‘Congress sources’ informed him of the Congress’s alleged plan to retaliate against Rajasthan by fabricating stories and involving various criminal elements to create a negative perception of the state. Poonawala expressed concern about the situation, stating that technically it is still a Congress government, but they appear to be in revenge mode following Gogamedi’s murder.”
