Criminal, guarded by 10 policemen, shot dead outside Lucknow court

A dreaded criminal, Sanjeev Maheshwari alias Jeeva, was shot dead on the premises of a Lucknow court on Wednesday. A child was also injured in the firing.

Jeeva (48), a resident of Muzaffarnagar, had 24 cases against him, six of which are ongoing. He was sentenced to life imprisonment by a CBI court in connection with the murder of former UP minister Brahma Dutt Dwivedi in 1997. Jeeva was an aide of gangster-cum-politician Mukhtar Ansari and Munna Bajrangi, a contract killer

He was brought to the court of the Additional District Judge in Lucknow for a hearing in a case filed under the Prevention of Atrocities Against SC/ST Act.

The firing took place between 3.50 and 3.55 pm. While Jeeva would always be wearing a bulletproof jacket during his court appearances, this time he was without one. There are speculations that the assailant was privy to the information that Jeeva wasn't wearing a bulletproof jacket.

The police, however, denied that there was any order about bringing Jeeva to the court with a bulletproof vest.

The incident took place when Jeeva was sitting outside the court waiting for his case to be called. A total of 10 policemen were guarding him.

The one-and-a-half-year-old girl, Lakshmi, who was injured in the shooting, is said to be out of danger. Two policemen, Kamlesh and Lal Mohammed were also injured.

The shooter, Vijay Yadav, is a resident of Jaunpur. Though he was dressed like a lawyer when he shot dead Jeeva, it is yet to be ascertained whether he is indeed one. He is currently being questioned by the police. It is not yet clear if there was more than one assailant.

Jeeva is survived by his wife, three sons, and a daughter.