BJP leader Brijpal Teotia in critical condition after being shot at in Ghaziabad

GHAZIABAD: Local BJP heavyweight Brijpal Teotia, 54, was critically injured when AK-47-wielding assailants attacked his SUV on Rawli Road off NH-58 on Thursday. Police put the number of attackers at four and said they also used 9mm pistols.Senior police officials of Meerut range including those from Ghaziabad rushed to the spot soon after the incident. Five others, including four private gunners of Teotia, were also injured and admitted to Sarvodaya Hospital in Ghaziabad. Teotia, who took at least five bullets, was later taken to the Fortis Hospital, Noida.According to police, nearly four attackers in a Fortuner SUV opened fire at Teotia’s vehicle. Senior police officers of Meerut range rushed to the spot soon after the incident.The injured were rushed to the Sarvodaya Hospital near Diamond Flyover of Ghaziabad. Teotia was later taken to Fortis Hospital in Noida when his condition deteriorated.The injured private gunners have been identified by police as Rampal Singh, Ashok Singh, Mokam Singh Malik and Vipin Singh. The fifth injured person has been identified by police as Indrapal Singh.Teotia has reportedly sustained at least five gunshot injuries in the incident. He was wheeled into the emergency ward of the Fortis Hospital at the time of filing this report. Hospital officials were yet to release any update about his health condition.“We have seized one AK-47, two 9 mm pistols and another rifle from the spot apart from a huge cache of used and live cartridges. Preliminary investigations suggest some old enmity. We are investigating all angles. We have also roped in the Special Task Force to nab the attackers. As per the updates we received, Teotia’s vital parameters were returning to normalcy,” ADG (Law & Order) Daljit Singh Chawdhary told TOI.Teotia has been a member of the Kisan Morcha of BJP for the past several years. He had unsuccessfully contested the 2012 UP assembly elections on a BJP ticket from Muradnagar constituency.