Madhya Pradesh BJP leader, out on morning walk, found dead in field

Barwani (Madhya Pradesh): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Manoj Thackeray was found dead in Barwani on Sunday, less than a week after Mandsaur Municipal Corporation president Prahlad Bandhwar was killed.

Thackeray, an MLA from Barwani, was found dead in a field in Warla police station limits. He had gone for a morning walk today.

The police said that a blood-stained rock was found from the crime site.

“He (Manoj Thackeray) had gone for his routine morning walk. A blood-stained rock has been found from the crime site. Speculation is that he was killed with that rock. An investigation is being done,” said Barwani’s additional superintendent of police.

Former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan accused the ruling Congress government of failing to maintain law and order in the state.

“Congress used to talk of change but what change is this? Murders have started here, there was one in Indore, then in Mandsaur where a BJP leader was killed, another BJP leader killed in Barwani. Criminals are fearless today. Law and order completely collapsed,” he said.

Chouhan further hinted at a larger conspiracy behind the recent killings of BJP leaders in Madhya Pradesh and warned the Congress government of protests if killings are not stopped.

“Government is taking this lightly. There seems to be a larger conspiracy behind this (BJP leader killed in Mandsaur). I demand a CBI inquiry. BJP leader was killed in Barwani, I warn the government that they stop such incidents otherwise BJP will come out on streets,” he said.

On Thursday, Bandhwar was shot at in Nai Abaadi of Mandsaur. He died on the spot.

A day after the incident, Manish Bairagi, a BJP worker, was arrested in Rajasthan's Pratapgarh in connection to the death of Bandhwar.