Balrampur (Uttar Pradesh), Oct 20 (IANS): A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader was brutally murdered by his rivals who first slashed him with a sharp-edged weapon and then drove a tractor over him, crushing him to death.

The deceased BJP worker, Krishna Shukla, was a pradhan representative and organisation secretary of the party at local level.

The incident took place on Monday night.

According to police reports, Shukla had rivalry with one Jitendra Pandey against whom he had lodged a case of attempt to murder in December 2020 over a conflict on fielding candidates in the panchayat elections.

On Monday night, Pandey and his aides spotted Krishna alone and cornered him. They first assaulted him with a sharp-edged weapon and then ran a tractor over him, the family members of Shukla said in their complaint.

The accused abandoned the tractor and fled.

Balrampur Superintendent of Police (SP) Hemant Kutiyal said an FIR has been registered and a massive manhunt launched to arrest the accused.

Prime accused Jitendra Pandey and his aides Rajesh Kumar Yadav Mahant, Umakant, Rahul, and Satish have been named as accused, the SP added.

"It is alleged that Krishna Shukla had staged an attack on himself and framed Jitendra Pandey nine months ago following which the latter was sent to jail," said Kutiyal.

Police officials visited the spot of crime on Tuesday and recorded statements of witnesses.