President of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Bareilly unit Ravindra Singh Rathore has gone missing, police said.
Senior superintendent of police (SSP), Bareilly, Joginder Kumar said Rathore’s family members told the police that he had left for Vrindavan on Thursday and was out of touch since then.
Kumar met Rathore’s family at his residence on Sunday.
“We are in touch with officers in Vrindavan and Agra for investigation. We have also sought help from intelligence and surveillance teams,” Kumar added.
The family is yet to lodge a formal complaint in this connection.
A week before his disappearance, rumours were rife in the local political circles that he might be removed from the post of district unit president.
“He (Rathore) was very disturbed due to the hostile behaviour of his own party leaders,” claimed Ritesh Singh, a close aide of Rathore.
Ritesh with two other BJP members have been rushed to Vrindavan to search Rathore. “He often used to visit Vrindavan but this is for the first time that he is not in touch with us,” Ritesh added.
Rathore had spearheaded BJP’s assembly election campaign in Bareilly in which the party won all the nine constituencies in the district.
He runs a number of businesses in Bareilly and nearby districts.
SP leader Shehla Tahir had registered 28 cases against Rathore during the Samajwadi Party regime.
