A Samajwadi Party leader and former village head was shot dead in Sekvaliya village in Uttar Pradesh’s Mau district on Sunday morning, India Today reported quoting the police. No arrest has been made so far.

Bijli Yadav, 39, was out for a walk when unidentified assailants fired at him from point blank range. The assailants managed to flee the spot. The murder came to light when local residents rushed to the spot after hearing a gunshot. They found Yadav’s body lying in a pool of blood.

Mau Superintendent of Police Anurag Arya said the assailants would be arrested soon. “A case has been registered under relevant sections of IPC following a complaint by the wife of the deceased,” he said, according to Hindustan Times. “Two teams have been constituted to arrest the assailants. The matter is being investigated from all possible angles. The assailants would be arrested soon and strict action would be taken against them.”

Family members told the police that Yadav had no enmity with anyone.

Another Samajwadi Party leader Karnpratap Singh blamed the Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled state government for the rising crimes. “Law and order is in very bad shape,” he said.