Lawyer shot dead; bar council calls strike

A 30-year-old lawyer was shot dead by unidentified assailants in the Macrobert Ganj area of the city, triggering protests by local Bar Council members today.
According to Kanpur SSP Yashaswi Yadav, Prashant Dwivedi was shot at late last night outside a private educational institution by unidentified persons.
The police had rushed the victim to the hospital but the doctors declared him brought dead.
"We have detained few persons for questioning. They were present at the scene of the murder," the SSP said.
However, no arrests have been made in the case, the SSP said, adding, the victim's family was yet to file a police complaint.

Meanwhile, the members of the Kanpur Bar Council reacted to the news of their colleague's murder with protests and the call for a strike today, bringing work at local courts to a complete stop.
Kanpur Bar Council President Suresh Singh said that the lawyers, who had struck work demanding immediate arrest of those responsible for the death of their young colleague, would hold a meeting to draw up a strategy for the protests.
Heavy police deployment has been put in place in the local court area over fears of demonstrations by lawyers turning violent, an official said.