Late-night tragedy in Bodakdev highrise: Congress MP’s nephew ‘accidentally’ shoots wife, ends his life in Ahmedabad

AHMEDABAD: A late-night tragedy unfolded at a highrise in Bodakdev after Congress Rajya Sabha MP Shaktisinh Gohil's nephew allegedly shot his wife "accidentally" in the head with his licensed revolver and then turned the gun on himself, police said on Thursday.

The tragedy occurred at a fifth-floor apartment in NRI Tower on Judges Bungalow Road. "Late on Wednesday, Yashrajsinh Gohil accidentally fired a round from his licensed revolver, killing his wife, Rajeshwari. Following this, the 35-year-old shot himself," said ACP (A-Division) Jitendra Brahmbhatt. According to the unnatural death report lodged at Vastrapur police station, the shootings took place at flat A-502 between 10.30pm and midnight.


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Yashrajsinh was a Class-I officer with the Gujarat Maritime Board. He had married Rajeshwari, 30, in Nov, police said.

The report, citing a statement by Yashrajsinh's mother Devyaniba, said the couple returned home around 10.30pm after dinner at a relative's house. While they were in the bedroom, a bullet accidentally discharged from Yashrajsinh's licensed revolver. It struck Rajeshwari at the base of her head. Devyaniba told police that her son immediately rushed to her room, told her what happened, and said that an ambulance needed to be called. She went to the couple's bedroom, where Rajeshwari was lying unconscious and bleeding.

Police records state that Yashrajsinh called the 108 emergency ambulance service at 11.42pm. Paramedics arrived shortly after and declared Rajeshwari dead. According to Devyaniba's statement, Yashrajsinh appeared deeply shaken after hearing that his wife had died.

No police team had reached the flat at that point, confirmed officers.

His mother told investigators that during this time, he asked her to step away and told her to "change clothes". Moments later, a gunshot was heard from the bedroom. Devyaniba and the ambulance staff rushed back inside only to find Yashrajsinh lying in a pool of blood with a bullet wound to the head. He was declared dead on the spot.

Both bodies were then sent to Asarwa Civil Hospital for postmortem. Ballistic tests and a forensic examination of the scene were ordered to establish the exact sequence of events, police said.

ACP Brahmbhatt said, "We have recorded the statement of the deceased man's mother. Prima facie, it appears to be a case of accidental firing followed by suicide. However, since the tragedy occurred within the four walls of the house, all angles will be probed to determine whether the firing was intentional or accidental," he said.

Ballistic tests and forensic examination of the scene were ordered to establish the exact sequence of events, police said.

Ruling out any marital discord, Congress media convener Manish Doshi said the couple had an appointment at the passport office on Thursday for a planned foreign trip. "They were a happy couple. Yashrajsinh had only two passions: licensed firearms and vehicles," Doshi said.

After the postmortem, the bodies were taken to Limda in Bhavnagar for the final rites. Yashrajsinh was the nephew of MP Shaktisinh Gohil, who is also a former GPCC president. Leaders from across political parties visited the family to offer condolences, including GPCC president Amit Chavda and BJP veteran and former state minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama.