GORAKHUR, March 18 -- A local BJP leader was allegedly stabbed multiple times and shot dead by a group of armed assailants while he was out on a morning walk on in the Bargadwa locality here on Tuesday. The police so far arrested seven of the accused. The incident occurred around 5.30 am, merely 500 metres from the residence of the deceased -- Raj Kumar Chauhan, 44, a political activist, a former councillor's representative and a property dealer. Investigators were examining an alleged dispute dating back to 2023 as a potential motive for the murder. He had served as a councilor's representative between 2018 and 2023, said police. Chauhan had stepped out of his house when the attackers ambushed him. Despite sustaining multiple stab wounds, he reportedly tried to escape and ran nearly 100 metres before collapsing. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead, said officials. SSP Kaustubh, along with CO (Gorakhnath) RK Singh and other officials, rushed to the spot soon after receiving information about the incident around 5:30am. They pacified angry locals, who had blocked the Gorakhpur-Sunauli highway for nearly two hours in protest. Eight police teams were constituted to apprehend the remaining accused. Kaustubh said based on a complaint lodged by the victim's family against eight named accused -residents of the same village - seven had already been arrested. CCTV footage from at least seven locations in the area was collected as part of the investigation. Forensic teams collected evidence from the crime scene and heavy police deployment was made in the area to maintain law and order. Officials suspect that personal enmity or a property dispute could be the motive behind the killing, although all angles, including political rivalry, were being thoroughly investigated. The incident escalated political tensions in Uttar Pradesh, with opposition parties targeting the government over law and order. Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav launched a sharp attack, alleging that "law and order has been shot dead" in the state and stated that the incident exposes the "grim reality" of policing....