AHMEDABAD, 27 March 2003 — A former home minister of Gujarat state was shot dead yesterday, sparking a massive security hunt in a region that saw sweeping Hindu-Muslim riots last year.
Police could not attribute a motive for the killing of ex-minister Haren Pandiya, 43, who was gunned down by two men riding a motorcycle.
Fearing a backlash from Pandiya’s followers, a red alert was sounded in the state soon after the incident, police said.
Pandiya, who was home minister from 1998 to 2001, belonged to India’s ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which also holds power in New Delhi.
BJP President Venkaiah Naidu in New Delhi, however, scotched speculation that political rivalry within the party could have been the motive.
“There is no such hint. It’s not right to suggest this. I have spoken to the chief minister,” Naidu told reporters.
Police said Pandiya was murdered in his car while on his way home from a park where he had taken a morning walk in Ahmedabad, the commercial capital of the western state.
“He was shot while he was driving. Since nobody saw the incident, it is difficult to say how it happened,” said Ahmedabad Police Commissioner K. R. Kaushik.
“It is also difficult to guess the reason behind the assassination,” he added.
Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee said that Pandiya’s departure has left a void, which would be difficult to fill.
“It is unfortunate that a young and promising career has been cut short by such a dastardly and cowardly act of violence,” Vajpayee said.
Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishna Advani told reporters in New Delhi that the wounded Pandiya had lain slumped in his car for some time before he was discovered. He was then rushed to hospital, where he died.
The former minister was possibly hit by three bullets, two on the right side of his chest and one in the throat, Deputy Commissioner of Police S.M. Kattara said. The autopsy report was awaited.
Over the past two years, Pandiya had shot into fame for causing political discomfort to Chief Minister Narendra Modi.
The rift between the two was reflected strongly in hundreds of Pandiya’s supporters shouting anti-Modi slogans yesterday.
They had gathered outside the hospital where Pandiya was brought after the incident.
Pandiya was a staunch supporter of Modi’s arch-rival and predecessor Keshubhai Patel, and had come to represent the political rivalry between the two factions.
The BJP rode back to power in state assembly poll in December with the help of deeply polarized voting by Hindus and Muslims.
The BJP party is roundly blamed for stoking last year’s sectarian strife that left 2,000 people dead, mostly Muslims.
Pandiya, who was in charge of provincial security at the time of the rioting, had drawn flak for failing to stem the bloodletting.
