Ahmedabad: Hours before voters were to head to polling booths in Mehsana, a clash turned fatal. A 30-year-old man lost his life after being attacked during a confrontation late on Friday. The victim, Miten Chaudhary, was campaigning for his uncle, Mahendra Chaudhary, a BJP member contesting the Mehsana Municipal Corporation election from Ward 4.According to the FIR, the main accused is Bharat Chaudhary, the husband of a Congress candidate contesting from the same ward, along with his son, Dhaval Chaudhary, and others identified as Mayur Chaudhary and Yash Chaudhary. Bharat’s wife, Leena, is the Congress candidate from Ward 4.A complaint registered by Miten’s cousin Dhimant Chaudhary, a 20-year-old resident of Arbudanagar, states that the violence occurred between 12.30am and 12.40am near Tavadiya crossroads on the Mehsana-Tavadiya Road.Dhimant told police that after having dinner, he and his friends stopped near the crossroads and asked their relative, Harsh Chaudhary, to come to the spot.The FIR states that Harsh arrived first, with two cars following closely behind. “The accused men stepped out of the vehicles, confronted Harsh, and began abusing him. Mayur slapped Harsh, following which Miten and others intervened. The violence quickly escalated.”In the complaint, Dhimant alleged that Dhaval struck Miten on the head with a stick, while Yash stabbed him from behind. He also claimed that he himself was attacked with pipes and sticks. The attackers allegedly issued threats, warning the group that they would be murdered next time.Miten was rushed to the hospital where he was shifted to an intensive care unit, but succumbed to his injuries later, said superintendent of police (SP) Himanshu Solanki. His death led to tension and grief in Tavadiya village and nearby areas. After the postmortem, his body was brought back under heavy police security, with a large number of people attending the funeral.SP Solanki said that both the BJP and Congress candidates belong to the same village and community. Mehsana (A-Division) inspector R L Pargi said, “Miten, a resident of a village near Mehsana, had come here to campaign for Mahendra.”Police said a vehicle was also damaged during the incident. Meanwhile, Bharat Chaudhary also sustained a head injury and received treatment.Based on Dhimant’s complaint, police have registered a case of murder, unlawful assembly, rioting and intentional insult under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita against the accused. No cross-complaint has been registered so far. Adequate police deployment has been made in the area ahead of voting.
