Karni Sena chief shot dead at home: Who was Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi, who killed him?

The state of Rajasthan is on edge. And it has nothing to do with the recently-concluded Assembly elections. Rajput outfits across the state, particularly in Jaipur have called for a bandh following the murder of Shri Rashtriya Rajput Karni Sena (SRRKS), Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi, at his house in the Mansarovar area. The Rajput leader’s supporters are demanding a judicial probe into the sensational murder, which has also sparked protests in Rajasthan that is currently under the process of a change in power after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) defeated the Congress in the elections. But who exactly is Gogamedi? And who killed him? Here’s a closer look about the Rajput leader and details surrounding his murder. Life and times of Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi, whose actual name was Sukhdev Singh Shekhawat, was  associated with the Karni Sena for long. For those who don’t remember, the Karni Sena was the group behind the massive protests against Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s movie Padmaavat. It is reported that Gogamedi was associated with the group since 2013, and was a very close associate of its leader Lokendra Singh Kalvi, even being his close confidante. Such were their ties that Gogamedi was appointed as the Rajasthan president of the Shri Rajput Karni Sena. However, owing to differences with Kalvi in 2015, the two parted ways and Gogamedi formed his own splinter group – the Shri Rashtriya Rajput Karni Sena. Reports state that he first made headlines with massive rounds of protests against the encounter of alleged gangster Anand Pal Singh by the Special Operations Group of the Rajasthan Police in 2017. Later, he once again made headlines when he spearheaded violent protests against the Bollywood movie Padmaavat, directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali and starring Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapur. His group alleged that the movie was showing Rani Padmini, a Chittor queen, in bad light. And despite multiple clarifications by the producers, the Gogamedi-led group continued to vandalise the sets of the movie, and burnt its posters, calling for a mass boycott. In fact, he was even quoted by news agency ANI as then saying, “The release of Padmaavat is going to create chaos in the country. The government will be responsible for loss of life and property following the release of this movie. Every theatre where this movie is released will be vandalised.” Earlier in 2017, a woman hailing from the Hanumangarh district had levelled allegations of rape against the Karni Sena leader. In her complaint, she had alleged that Gogamedi had taken her to various locations and raped her. However, the police found that it was a false case, and Gogamedi was cleared of all charges. A report in The Wire also stated that Gogamedi was a supporter of the Congress party. He also backed the Ashok Gehlot government during the recently concluded Assembly elections. A couple of months ago, Gogamedi, in a Mahapanchayat, demanded the Union government to increase the reservations to economically weaker sections (EWS) from the current 10 per cent to 14 per cent. In recent times, Gogamedi’s associates had also claimed that the Karni Sena leader was receiving threats from gangsters. [caption id=“attachment_13470852” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Police personnel and FSL team members at the residence of Shri Rashtriya Rajput Karni Sena’s President Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi, where he was shot dead by assailants, in Jaipur. PTI[/caption] The murder of Gogamedi And it seems that the threats finally materialised on Tuesday evening (5 December). Gogamedia was shot dead in the living room of his house by three men. One of the assailants was also gunned down by his accomplices, said the police. As per CCTV footage available, the attackers whipped out their weapons and fired indiscriminately at Gogamedi, who was then sitting on a couch opposite them and then eventually falls down. Before fleeing, one of the assailants also shot a motionless Gogamedi lying on the floor from a close range.

Rajasthan Director General of Police (DGP) Umesh Mishra said, “The attackers entered Gogamedi’s house on the pretext that they wanted to talk to him. After talking to him for some time, they opened fire at him. One of Gogamedi’s security guards retaliated and was injured in the firing. During the incident, two attackers shot their accomplice Naveen Shekhawat.” The remaining two assailants, who were yet to be identified, were still on the run. DGP Mishra said the Rohit Godara gang had claimed responsibility for the murder and searches have been launched to trace the two assailants who managed to flee. “The Rohit Godara gang has taken responsibility for the murder. All possible hideouts of the attackers are being raided in the neighbouring districts and the Bikaner division,” he said, adding that Rajasthan Police has also sought the cooperation of its Haryana counterparts. It is a serious incident and teams are at work. The accused will be arrested soon, Mishra said Following Gogamedi’s death, his supporters began crowding around his house and also blocked the Shipra Path road outside the hospital and demanded that the accused be arrested immediately. [caption id=“attachment_13470872” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Gangster Rohit Godara has taken responsibility for the murder of Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi. He said it was revenge for the Karni Sena chief’s decision to back the gang’s enemies. Image Courtesy: X[/caption] Rohit Godara and the murder of Gogamedi Shortly after the murder of Gogamedia, gangster Rohit Godara took responsibility for the act, writing on Facebook, “I am Rohit Godara Kapursari, brother of Goldie Brar. Today we take full responsibility for the murder of Sukhdev Gogamedi. He (Mr Gogamedi) used to back our enemies.” Believed to be in his late 20s, Godara has a notorious record with over two dozen cases registered against him, including those of murder and abduction. An NDTV report says that there are at least 32 cases against him across police stations in the country. Hailing from Bikaner, Godara is presently on the run and is believed to be in Canada. Reports add that he fled India in June last year and made his way to Dubai. He is believed to be carrying out criminal activities at the behest of dreaded gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. The police have been quoted as telling NDTV that Godara used to run extortion rackets against Rajasthan-based businessmen, demanding sums ranging from Rs 5 crore to Rs 17 crore. In December 2022, he took to Facebook to take responsibility for the killing of gang leader Raju Theth in Sikar. Godara’s name has also come up in connection with the Sidhu Moose Wala murder case in 2022. According to some reports, he is said to have arranged for the vehicle used in the killing, from Rajasthan. Godara was also allegedly involved in the killing of Punjab-based history sheeter Manpreet Singh Manna in 2019. He is also an accused in the killing of a local BJP leader. BJP, Congress reacts to Gogamedi’s murder Gogamedi’s murder has also sparked reactions from the political circles. Outgoing Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot wrote on X, “The murder of Shri Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi is very sad. I pray to God to give peace to the departed soul and strength to his family to bear this loss.” Newly-elected BJP MLA Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore said in a post on X that no one involved in the murder and its conspiracy will be spared. The net has been cast and the culprits will be dragged out of their hideouts and given exemplary punishment. In a statement, senior BJP leader Vasundhara Raje termed Gogamedi’s murder highly condemnable and unfortunate. With inputs from agencies