Senior Gujarat BJP leader Jayanti Bhanushali shot dead in moving train, CM Vijay Rupani promises action against those found guilty

Ahmedabad: Senior Gujarat BJP leader and former MLA Jayanti Bhanushali was shot dead by unidentified people while he was travelling in a train in the early hours of Tuesday, police said. The incident took place at around 2 am on the Bhuj-Dadar Express train, when 53-year-old Bhanushali was returning to Ahmedabad from Bhuj town of the Kutch district in Gujarat. Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani on Tuesday assured that stringent action will be taken against those found guilty of murdering Bhanushali. Rupani stated, “A thorough investigation will be conducted and strict action will be taken against those guilty.” The BJP leader had stepped down from the post of the party’s Gujarat unit’s vice-president in July, 2018, after a woman accused him of rape. However, the Gujarat High Court had quashed the case in August, 2018, after the woman withdrew the complaint. [caption id=“attachment_5294731” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. ANI[/caption] He was apparently shot dead between Gandhidham and Surajbari stations in the neighbouring Kutch district, Morbi district’s Superintendent of Police Karanraj Vaghela said. “The railway police on board the Bhuj-Dadar Express informed the Morbi police that Bhanushali was shot dead in the train. When the train reached Maliya station of Morbi, we recovered the body and sent it for post-mortem,” he said. As per preliminary investigation, two bullets were fired at him, Vaghela said. “We also recovered some empty bullet cases from the compartment and sent them for forensic examination. The railway police will file an FIR in connection with the incident,” he said. Bhanushali had represented the Abdasa assembly constituency in Kutch from 2007 to 2012.