Lucknow court shooting: What we know so far about gangster Jeeva's murder

Gangster Sanjeev Maheshwari Jeeva, the alleged aide of gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari was shot dead inside the Lucknow Civil Court premises by an assailant who came disguised as a barrister. The shooting happened at around 4 PM on June 7 when Jeeva was being taken to the Lucknow Civil Court. 

An individual masquerading as a lawyer fired shots at him as soon as he entered the court, injuring the gangster, two police officers, and a two-year-old girl. He died during medical treatment, while the shooter was taken into custody on the spot. 

#WATCH | Outside visuals from Uttar Pradesh's Lucknow Civil Court where gangster Sanjeev Jeeva was shot by unknown miscreants a while ago. pic.twitter.com/LH9pSLyh4l

— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP)

Jeeva (48) was a Muzaffarnagar district resident. He was charged for the murders of BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai and then-state minister Brahm Dutt Dwivedi, as well as 24 additional charges including murder, fraud, and criminal conspiracy.

Following the fatal shooting on the court grounds on Wednesday, lawyers protested against the police, claiming the government is failing to maintain law and order and tighten security measures. 

#WATCH | Visuals from Uttar Pradesh's Lucknow Civil Court where gangster Sanjeev Jeeva was shot by unknown miscreants a while ago. pic.twitter.com/MoJbKRr4Um

— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP)

SIT formed to investigate 

After learning about the event, DCP West and DCP Central rushed to the location, according to Assistant Commissioner of Police Sunil Kumar Mishra. 

Lucknow Police Commissioner S B Shiradkar, who reached the court shortly after the incident said, "Sanjeev Maheshwari Jeeva, who was held in Lucknow jail, was brought to the court for hearing in a case and was shot dead by an unknown assailant." 

In order to probe Maheshwari's murder in the Lucknow courtroom, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was established by the UP government. The SIT will consist of three members: 

• Mohit Agarwal ADG Technical
• Neelabza Chowdhary
• Praveen Kumar IG Ayodhya

#BREAKING On #BiggestStoryTonight | UP CM Yogi Adityanath orders SIT formation to investigate courtroom murder.#CMYogiAdityanath #SIT #Lucknow #Jeeva #Jiva #LucknowCourtRoomMurder https://t.co/6CjsNJ9CEq pic.twitter.com/36AGrxcJDW

— Republic (@republic)

Meanwhile, the UP police sealed the portion of the court premises where the incident took place and the forensic team reached the location to further the investigation. 

#WATCH | Uttar Pradesh Police seal the crime scene at Lucknow Civil Court where gangster Sanjeev Jeeva was shot dead today. pic.twitter.com/AZhIhQm9OV

— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP)

#WATCH | Forensic team at Lucknow Civil Court where gangster Sanjeev Jeeva was shot dead today.#UttarPradesh pic.twitter.com/dV7ErNZZWD

— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP)

Political parties raise question on law & order in UP

SP chief and opposition leader in UP, Akhilesh Yadav, questioned the law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh asking, "Is it a democracy? The question is not who is being killed but the question is that one is being killed where security is the highest."

BSP supremo Mayawati took to Twitter to condemn the incident and said, "In the sensational shootout that took place in the Lucknow court premises today, the open murder is a big challenge for the government in terms of law and order and crime control in UP. There is a lot of panic among the general public due to such incidents. Government should take strict steps, this is the demand of BSP."

लखनऊ कोर्ट परिसर में आज हुए सनसनीखेज गोलीकाण्ड में खुलेआम हुई हत्या यूपी में कानून व्यवस्था व अपराध नियंत्रण के मामले में सरकार के लिए बड़ी चुनौती। ऐसी घटनाओं से आम जनता में काफी दहशत। सरकार सख़्त कदम उठाए, बीएसपी की यह माँग।

— Mayawati (@Mayawati)

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya in his preliminary response, assured strict action against the accused. He said, "I don't know about this murder but whoever has done it, strict action will be taken against them."