Haren Pandya

Haren Pandya was the Home Minister of the Gujarat State in India. He was murdered in 2003 in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, when he was sitting in his car after a morning walk in the Law Garden area in ahmedabad.

Political career

He represented the Ellis Bridge constituency of Ahmedabad City as a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Legislator. He was a member of the RSS from his early age and was also a Municipal Councilor from the Paldi Area of Ahmedabad City. Pandya was a strong supporter of Keshubhai Patel and a fierce opponent of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, and that was the reason he was denied BJP ticket in the Gujarat Assembly Elections of 2002.

US Astronaut Sunita Williams, who is the only women to have spent six months in space, is Haren Pandya's cousin.

Aftermath of Pandya's Murder

A lot of controversy followed his murder and high level BJP Leaders such as Chief Minister Narendra Modi and the then Deputy Prime Minister of India Lal Krishna Advani were under intense criticism from within the Sangh Pariwar and General Public for sidelining Haren Pandya and not providing him proper security despite threats to his life and his request for security cover.

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