Gangster Munna Bajrangi shot dead in Baghpat jail; wife claims UP Special Task Force wanted to eliminate husband

Gangster Munna Bajrangi also known as Prem Prakash Singh was shot dead inside a high-security prison in Uttar Pradesh’s Baghpat early on Monday. He was brought to Baghpat from Jhansi jail— where he was imprisoned since 2009— on Sunday and was to be produced in a local court on Monday in a case for demanding extortion money from BJP MLA Lokesh Dixit. Bajrangi was also named in the killing of former BJP legislator Krishnanad Rai. He was accused in more than 40 murder and extortion cases. Additional Director General, Prisons, Chandra Prakash said that Bajrangi (51) was kept in a cell with 10 other inmates including Sunil Rathi, who is also a gangster and lodged in Baghpat Jail since 31 July last year. “Rathi shot Bajrangi after they entered into an altercation this morning inside the jail,” the ADG said adding that Rathi has been taken into police custody. Superintendent of Police, Baghapt, Jaiprakash said Rathi was being interrogated. “More than one shot was fired. After the incident, Rathi threw the weapon in a sewer. We are probing how the weapon reached the jail,” the SP said. Principal secretary, Home, Arvind Kumar said jailor, Udai Pratap Singh, deputy jailor Shivaji Yadav, head warden Arjinder Singh and warden Madhav Kumar have been suspended in connection with the incident. A probe by a judicial magistrate will be undertaken as per procedure, he said and added that an FIR has been lodged in the matter. According to News18 reports, Bajrangi’s wife Seema Singh had recently alleged that UP Police’s Special Task Force (STF) was hatching a conspiracy to eliminate her husband inside jail premises. In a recent press conference here, Bajrangi’s wife had said, “STF wants my husband to be killed inside the jail. The Special Task Force inspector had visited Jhansi jail recently to hatch a conspiracy to kill my husband. They are constantly inquiring about my husband’s health. I have informed the court about it and I also request chief minister Yogi Adityanath to intervene in the matter.”

It is believed that he worked on the instructions of Mukhtar Ansari, another don cum politician. According to Zee News , after Ansari became an MLA on Samajwadi Party ticket from Mau in 1996, Bajrangi began to directly influence government tenders. Bajrangi allegedly killed the BJP leader, Krishnanad Rai on 29 November 2005. He reportedly attacked Rai’s convoy on Lucknow highway using AK47, killing six others as well. Police recovered 67 bullets from seven bodies. “Never before in the history of Uttar Pradesh has so much firepower been on display in a mafia battle,” commented a senior police official, according to Outlook. Bajrangi had claimed that he had killed at least 40 people in a span of 20 years. In 2012, he had also contested Assembly Elections from inside the jail as a joint candidate of Apna Dal and Peace Party from Madiyahu seat. Though, he did not win the elections but stood at third place and secured 12 percent of the votes. In March 2016, Bajrangi’s brother-in-law Pushpjeet, who looked after his business, was shot dead in Vikas Nagar colony of Lucknow and his close associate Tariq was shot at in Lucknow in December last year With inputs from PTI