The NRI Tower of Ahmedabad’s high-end Bodakdev district has taken on a sense of gloom in the wake of a double fatality – of Yashrajsinh Gohil, the nephew of senior Congress leader, and Rajya Sabha MP Shaktisinh Gohil. Late Wednesday night, the incident claimed the lives of the 35-year-old Yashrajsinh and his 30-year-old wife, Rajeshwari.
Only two months into their marriage, the couple was struck by one. The Sequence of Events. Police reports and witness statements indicated the couple returned home around 10:30 PM after being out socially together. Security guards at the high-rise observed that the couple were "cheerful and normal" as they walked through the building. The tragedy occurred just before midnight:
The First Shot: Yashrajsinh reportedly was operating his licensed revolver in their fifth-floor bedroom. A bullet was inadvertently discharged, hitting Rajeshwari at the base of her head.
The Alarm: Yashrajsinh had rushed straight into his mother’s room, telling her of the accident and begging for an ambulance.
The Confirmation: Paramedics from the 108 Emergency Service arrived at 11:42 PM. They examined her briefly and declared Rajeshwari dead on the spot.
The Final Act: Yashrajsinh immediately went into extreme shock after observing his wife’s lifeless body and then hearing paramedics' confirmation. He told his mother to move aside for a moment. A second gunshot broke out seconds later Yashrajsinh had aimed the gun at himself.
A police investigation and statements Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Jitendra Brahmbhatt says in a related opinion, prima facie the evidence establishes that the accidental shooting followed by suicide was true. But the police have called in forensic and ballistic teams to confirm the path of first bullet. “As this event happened within the four walls of the house, everybody has been investigating every angle because of it. Ballistic tests will establish whether the first shot was genuinely accidental or intended," the ACP said.
Life Cut Short
Yashrajsinh was a Class-I officer with the Gujarat Maritime Board who had an active interest in cars and licensed firearms. Gujarat Congress spokesman Manish Doshi said he had no record of marital conflict, and that the couple was due for an appointment at passport office the following day for a planned trip abroad.
The bodies were taken to Asarwa Civil Hospital for post-mortem treatment and taken to Limda in the Indian state of Bhavnagar for final rites. A rare moment of political unity was also felt in the context of the incident, as leaders of both Congress and BJP visited their family to extend their condolences to Shaktisinh Gohil and the family in mourning.
