Gangster Sanjiv Jeeva, Mukhtar Ansari’s Aide, Shot Dead Outside UP Court; Shooter Dressed as Lawyer

Gangster Sanjiv Jeeva was shot dead outside the Lucknow Civil Court on Wednesday. Jeeva, believed to be a close aide of gangster-politician Mukhtar Ansari, was an accused in the murder of senior BJP leader Brahm Dutt Dwivedi. He died on the spot, according to CNN-News18 sources.

Jeeva was shot and killed on the spot by an assailant dressed as a lawyer when he was brought to court for a hearing. “Sanjeev Maheshwari Jeeva who was held in Lucknow jail was brought to the court for hearing in a case and was shot dead by unknown assailant,” said Lucknow Police Commissioner S B Shiradkar.

A girl sustained bullet injuries and a police official with head injuries was rushed to the Civil Hospital in Lucknow following the incident.

A video footage showed the gangster, who operated a criminal gang in western Uttar Pradesh, lying on the ground with officials attempting to stem the bleeding.

The alleged miscreant was apprehended and handed over to the police.

Sanjiv Maheshwari Jeeva was also a co-accused in the murder of BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai, a case in which Mukhtar Ansari is also named as an accused.

Mukhtar Ansari was sentenced to life imprisonment on Monday for the murder of Awadhesh Rai, the brother of a former Congress MLA Ajay Rai in August 3, 1991.

According to lawyers, in the early hours of August 3, 1991, Congress leader Ajay Rai and his brother were standing at the gate of their residence in Varanasi when a group of assailants, including Ansari, arrived in a car and fired shots at Awadhesh Rai.

In response, Ajay Rai retaliated by firing from his licensed pistol, causing the assailants to flee the scene and abandon their vehicle. Awadhesh was immediately rushed to Kabirchaura hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead.

BJP leader Brahma Dutt Dwivedi Murder Case

On February 10, 1997, BJP leader Brahma Dutt Dwivedi and his gunner were murdered while returning from a Tilak Ceremony in Farukhabad district. The incident also resulted in serious injuries to his driver, Sher Singh alias Rinku. His nephew Sudhanshu Dutt Diwedi had lodged an FIR at the city police station in Farukabad on the same day.

The case was later transferred to the CBI on February 10, 1997, leading to the submission of a charge sheet against eight accused individuals. The trial court framed charges against the accused on January 23, 2001, but during the trial, one of the accused, Ramesh Thakur, passed away.

Subsequently, on July 17, 2003, the trial court convicted former SP MLA Vijay Singh and Jeeva for the murder of Dwivedi and his gunner, as well as the attempted murder of his driver, while acquitting the remaining accused persons.

Singh and Jeeva appealed against the trial court’s verdict in 2003, but their appeals were dismissed by the Allahabad High Court in 2017, affirming the conviction and sentences imposed by the trial court.

(With inputs from agencies)