Pravin Togadia’s relative among 3 murdered in Surat; three arrested

Three persons were arrested on Sunday in connection with the Saturday night’s triple murder in city’s Ashvinikumar road area, where one of the victims was a relative of VHP leader Pravin Togadia, police said.

Police are looking for four more persons in connection with the murders which they suspect occurred over extortion money pertaining to a land deal in Amreli district.

While one of the victims is identified as Bharat Togadia, the relative of the VHP international working president and brother of the Leader of Opposition in Surat Municipal Corporation, Prafful Togadia, others are Balu Hirani and Ashok Patel.

The matter took a political turn with RJD president Lalu Prasad Yadav questioning the law and order situation in Gujarat.

“What kind of governance (raaj) is here?” Lalu tweeted against the backdrop of the “jungle raaj” barb hurled by BJP at the JD(U)-RJD coalition government in Bihar over the recent killings in the state.

Gujarat state unit Congress president Bharatsinh Solanki also tweeted, “Where is the law and order in Gujarat?” 

The victims were stabbed by unidentified persons inside Hirani’s office in Varachha locality at around 9 pm.