Bhopal, January 17: Panic spread across Mandsaur on Thursday after the city's civic body chief and BJP leader Prahlad Bandhwar was shot dead in broad daylight. The fatal bullets were fired by bike-borne criminals, who fled the spot immediately after assassinating him. A search operation has been launched by the Madhya Pradesh police to crackdown on them.

Bandhwar, who is the Chairman of Mandsaur Municipal Corporation, had visited the district cooperative bank earlier in the day, located at the BPL Square. Shortly, two gunmen arrived at the spot and accosted him. They subsequently fired from him at point blank range. Madhya Pradesh Police, CRPF Get 'Clean Chit' For Firing in Mandsaur Which Killed 5 Farmers in 2016.

The gunshots led to ruckus at the crime scene, which allowed the attackers to escape from the spot. Bandhwar, meanwhile, was rushed to the nearest hospital in an auto-rickshaw. Despite efforts by the doctors to resuscitate him, the civic body chief could not be saved.

A case of murder has been registered by the Mandsaur police. Instructions have been issued by the government to apprehend the accused at the earliest.

The Opposition BJP has slammed the newly-elected Congress government, demanding Chief Minister Kamal Nath to strengthen the law and order machinery.

Mandsaur turned tense after the murder of the BJP leader, with police being deployed at all sensitive spots of the district to prevent violence and vandalisation.

Senior BJP functionaries in the state, including former minister Kailash Chawla, are monitoring the case and have demanded immediate action against those responsible for the brutal murder.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 17, 2019 09:17 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).