Son of Surendra Singh, ex-village head of Barauli, Amethi who was shot dead y'day: My father was a close aide of Sm… https://t.co/ZwEKmCDTnh — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) 1558847937000

LUCKNOW: Fifty-year-old Baraulia village ex-sarpanch Surendra Singh , a close aide of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Smriti Irani , was shot dead in Amethi constituency in the wee hours of Sunday.Police said unidentified assailants opened fire at Singh at his residence in Baraulia village under Jamo police station jurisdiction around 3am. He was rushed to KGMU Trauma Centre but died on the way."He was shot around 3am. Seven suspects have been taken into custody and it appears that Singh was shot due to an old dispute," said Rajesh Kumar, Amethi superintendent of police.A police investigation into the matter is underway.Police also said that prima facie it appears that Singh was shot on the temple when he returned home after celebrating Irani's victory from Amethi.My father was a close aide of Smriti Irani and used to campaign 24/7. After she became MP, Vijay Yatra was carried out. I think some Congress supporters didn't like it ... We have suspicions on some people, said Surendra Singh's son.Baraulia village was in news during campaigning in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections when Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had accused Smriti Irani of distributing shoes to the residents in order to insult Rahul Gandhi .Sources claim that Singh was involved in the distribution of footwear during campaigning.