Witness shot dead

TNS & PTI

Bareilly, July 11 

A key witness in the sexual assault case against self-styled godman Asaram Bapu was shot dead by assailants in Shahjahanpur district, the ninth attack against witnesses in the case.

Kripal Singh (35) was shot at by motorcycle-borne persons in the Puwayan area  when he was on his way home from the market on Friday night, the police said today. Before escaping, they warned him against deposing against Asaram.

Kripal, who sustained bullet injuries, was rushed from Shahjahanpur to a Bareilly hospital where he succumbed at around 11.25 pm. His body was being taken back to Shahjahanpur for cremation, said Mukul Dwivedi, Circle Officer, Bareilly. 

In a statement  to the Additional City Magistrate, Kripal alleged that three associates of Asaram—Sanjay, Arjun and Raghav—were threatening him for the past few days.  The police said Kripal was an employee of a transport firm, whose owner's daughter had lodged a case against Asaram (74) for allegedly sexually assaulting her at his ashram near Jodhpur in 2013. Kripal’s statement against Asaram had been recorded some three months ago.