A BJP leader’s wife was killed and five police personnel from Uttar Pradesh’s Moradabad were injured while chasing the aides of mining mafia in Uttarakhand, according to a report from NDTV.

The deceased woman was identified as Gurpreet Kaur, the wife of Bharatiya Janata Party leader Gurtaj Bhullar. She was killed in the exchange of fire between the police and the mining mafia aides. 

Two police officials received gunshot wounds while three were injured in other ways when the gunfight broke out in Uttarakhand’s Jaspur. They were there to arrest a mining mafia person called Zafar. 

Also Read |Karnataka hijab ban: Indian Supreme court delivers split verdict

Two police officials were shot at while three were
injured in other ways in a clash that broke out when a Moradabad Police
team reached Uttarakhand’s Jaspur to arrest a mining mafia called Zafar.

Bhullar’s house was raided as Zafar was believed to be hiding there. There is a bounty or Rs 50,000 on his head. Zafar is a wanted dumper driver, according to Times Now and hails from Thakurdwara in Uttar Pradesh. 

“The accused is a wanted criminal carrying a reward of ₹ 50,000. He escaped from there (Bharatpur village). When our police team reached, they were taken hostage and their weapons were snatched,” said Moradabad senior cop Shalabh Mathur, according to a report from ANI. 

Also Read | Indian Supreme Court’s split verdict on Karnataka hijab ban: 7 key takeaways

In the aftermath of the raid, villagers surrounded the police team and took four policeman hostage. A murder case has been registered against the UP Police in Uttarakhand. 

Bhullar has alleged a larger conspiracy and has called for a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the death of his wife. Speaking to India Today, Bullar said that he wanted a CBI inquiry to “get justice for my wife,” and said that they did not use any weapons but had instead handed over the accused to the police.