Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi Wiki, Age, Death, Caste, Wife, Family, Biography & More

Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi was a prominent Hindu leader in Rajasthan who was the President of the right-wing group Shri Rashtriya Rajput Karni Sena (SRRKS). He came into the national spotlight after Indian gangster Anand Pal Singh’s encounter case in 2017 and for spearheading the protests against the making and release of the Indian historical drama film Padmaavat (2018). He was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Jaipur on 5 December 2023.

Wiki/Biography

Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi was born on 12 July, and he hails from Jaipur, Rajasthan. His zodiac sign is Cancer. He was educated till Class 10. ^[1]Hindustan Times

Physical Appearance

Height (approx.): 5′ 10″

Hair Colour: Black

Eye Colour: Black

Family & Caste

He belonged to a Hindu Rajput family. ^[2]NDTV

Parents & Siblings

His father’s name is Anchal Singh Shekhawat. His mother, Icharaj Kanwar, died on 9 December 2020. He is the eldest among his siblings. He has two brothers, Dalip Singh and Kan Singh, and a sister, Madhu Kanwar.

Wife & Children

On 20 April 2009, Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi got married to Sheela Shekhawat Gogamedi, who is also an active SRRKS activist. Together they have two daughters, Urvashi Shekhawat and Yashasvi Shekhawat.

Religion

He follows Hinduism. He worships Karni Mata, a Hindu goddess who is believed to be an incarnation of Jagadamba. She is primarily preached in the royal Rajput households.

Signature/Autograph

Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi- A Karni Sena Activist

By 2018, there were three major Karni Sena factions, Shri Rajput Karni Sena led by Lokendra Singh Kalvi, Shri Rashtriya Rajput Karni Sena Samiti led by Ajeet Singh Mamdoli, and Shri Rashtriya Rajput Karni Sena led by Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi. The original organisation, Karni Sena (or Shri Rajput Karni Sena) was formed in 2006, and Ajeet Singh Mamdoli was its first President. The main objective of the organisation was securing a reservation for Rajputs. Other objectives included putting an end to the sidelining of Rajput figures in textbooks and encouraging Rajput legislators in the government. In the 2008 Rajasthan Assembly elections, Karni Sena supported the Congress with the condition that a specific number of tickets would be allocated to Rajputs. Due to disagreements within the Karni Sena during negotiations, Kalvi parted ways with the organization. In 2010, Kalvi joined the Congress and established his own Shri Rajput Karni Sena (SRKS). Mamdoli filed a case against Kalvi’s SRKS for using the name of his already registered organization. The case is sub judice. Meanwhile, Kalvi appointed Sukhdev Singh Gogamedhi as the state president of his faction.

In 2015, Gogamedi was removed from the organization due to criminal charges, and he subsequently established his own faction named Shree Rashtriya Rajput Karni Sena. On 24 June 2017, Indian gangster Anand Pal Singh was killed in a police encounter. However, Anandpal Singh’s family and the Rajput community rejected the official story and blamed the government for his death. They said that Anandpal wanted to surrender, but the government mainly the former Chief Minister of Rajasthan Vasundhara Raje and former home minister Gulab Chand Kataria wanted him dead. Anand Pal Singh was a cult figure among many Rajput and Ravana Rajput youths who saw him as a defender of Rajputs against the rival Jat community. Anandpal gained recognition for his practice of redistributing wealth, giving to the poor and stealing from the rich. This earned him a reputation akin to that of Robin Hood. Sukhdev Singh made headlines for organising protests against Vasundhara Raje regarding the encounter. Ahead of the 2018 Rajasthan Legislative Assembly elections, he urged Karni Sainiks to cast their votes against Raje. He also called for a CBI inquiry into the Anand Pal Singh’s encounter. Gogamedi also sought a ticket from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the 2018 Rajasthan Assembly elections for the Bhadra Assembly seat in Hanumangarh district, but the party did not allot him one.

In 2017, Karni Sena attracted national attention when it launched a protest against Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s film Padmaavat (2018), featuring Deepika Padukone in the titular role. Both Kalvi-led Karni Sena and Gogamedi-led Shri Rashtriya Rajput Karni Sena held the protests. The organisations claimed that the film featured scenes showing romance between Chittor queen Padmini and Alauddin Khilji in a dream sequence, which hurt the Rajput sentiments. Karni Sena led violent protests in various districts throughout India ahead of the film’s release in January 2018 and also vandalized theatres which were screening the film. Notably, Gogamedi was accused of slapping director Sanjay Leela Bhansali. ^[3]The New Indian Express Previously, Karni Sena also protested against the Bollywood films Jodha Akbar (2013) and Veer (2010). In April 2023, SRRKS organised Kesariya Mahapanchayat in Jaipur to demand that the EWS reservation be increased from 10 per cent to 14 per cent and that the state government constitute a Kshatriya Rajput Kalyan Board. They demanded the central government relax the conditions of EWS reservation in central government recruitment.

Controversies

Landing In a Soup Over Provocative Remarks

In 2017, a video surfaced in which Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi allegedly declared a reward of Rs 20 lakh on the head of a groom from a minority community who married a girl of Rajput community. He announced it while addressing an anti-reservation rally organised by his outfit at Dongra under Ratlam district. The video gained widespread attention leading the local police to initiate an investigation into the matter. ^[4]The Asian Age While addressing the media, Ratlam district superintendent of police (SP) Pradeep Sharma said,

The matter has come to our notice. We have already video-recorded the event and are now scrutinising the content of the video. Necessary action will be taken against those who made such provocative speeches on the occasion.”

Booked for Threatening Pilgrims Visiting Ajmer Dargah

In 2019, a video went viral on the internet in which Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi was seen threatening pilgrims visiting Ajmer Dargah. In the widely circulated video, Gogamedi said that the Amarnath Yatra was about to start if any terrorist activities targeting Hindus occurred during the pilgrimage, pilgrims visiting the Ajmer Dargah in Rajasthan would face consequences. Thereafter, Dargah Committee Nazim Shakeel Ahmed registered a complaint with the police against Gogamedi. ^[5]Patrika

Death

On 5 December 2023, Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi was fatally shot by three unidentified attackers inside his office-cum-residence at Jaipur’s Shyam Nagar. Despite being rushed to the Metro Mas Hospital, he succumbed to his injuries and died. Following the attack, wanted criminal Rohit Godara Kapurisar openly claimed responsibility for Gogamedi’s murder via a Facebook post which read,

Ram Ram, to all the brothers I am Rohit Godara Kapurisar, Goldie Brar. Brothers, today Sukhdev Gogamedi was murdered. We take full responsibility for this. We have got this murder done. Brothers, I want to tell you that he used to cooperate with our enemies. Used to strengthen them. As far as enemies are concerned, they should keep their funeral bier ready at the doorstep of their house. Will meet them soon too.”

Notably, Godara had previously claimed responsibility for the murder of another gangster Raju Thehat in Sikar, Rajasthan. Godara is associated with the Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldy Brar gang who are notorious for planning the murder of popular Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala and issuing death threats to Bollywood celebrity Salman Khan. According to the Facebook post, Godara killed Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi because the latter supported their enemies.

Gogamedi’s murder was captured on the CCTV camera, which showed the two men firing multiple shots at him. Jaipur (south) deputy commissioner of police Yogesh Goyal revealed that the two assailants were identified as Rohit Rathore Makrana from Jaipur and Nitin Fauji from Mahendragarh, Haryana. ^[6]Hindustan Times

Meanwhile, some media houses reported that the two assailants were identified as Rohit Singh Shekhawat and Nitin Fauji. ^[7]The Times of India Reportedly, Nitin Fauji was also in touch with gangster Lawrence Bishnoi’s gang. In the retaliatory firing, one of Gogamedi’s security personnel Ajit Singh (also spelt as Ajeet Singh) was seriously injured, and one of the assailants Naveen Singh Shekhawat was killed. The other two assailants quickly fled the scene. First, they attempted a failed car robbery. Then, they successfully stole a two-wheeler from a man named Hemraj on the Kishan Jan Path and then raced through Shyam Nagar, Nirman Nagar, and Rani Sati Nagar. Eventually, the two boarded an auto-rickshaw from Ajmer Road, leaving a trail of crime. Reportedly, Naveen Singh Shekhawat was an acquaintance of Gogamedi. He brought the assailants to Gogamedi’s house in a car around 1 pm. At first, the guards at the gate stopped the car and refused to let them, but then Naveen made a call to Gogamedi, who then instructed his staff to send the trio to the room where he would routinely meet office-bearers and supporters of his outfit. ^[8]India Today. According to the initial police investigation, Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi sustained five gunshot wounds, with injuries to his head, chest, and abdomen. Different types of bullets were discovered at the crime scene, along with various metallic fragments. The recovered bullets include those of 9 mm calibre, 7.62×25 mm cartridge, and 8 mm calibre. ^[9]The Times of India

Events After The Murder

In the aftermath of the killing, the supporters of the slain Karni Sena chief staged a protest in the city. During a media conversation, a relative said that Gogamedi had been receiving threats for a long time and feared an attack on him. He claimed police had been informed about the threats. Some people familiar with the matter also mentioned that the Punjab Police had also provided information to Rajasthan authorities regarding possible dangers to Gogamedi’s life. On February 14, a communication from the Punjab Police suggested that Gogamedi was likely to be targeted by gangster Sampat Nehra, a gangster associated with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang who was in Bhatinda’s central jail. ^[10]Hindustan Times Rajput groups announced a shutdown (bandh) in various cities across Rajasthan.

#WATCH | Rajasthan | Thousands of supporters of Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi, the national president of Rashtriya Rajput Karni Sena gathered outside the District Collectorate in Udaipur in protest over his murder. pic.twitter.com/FLqthTA68d

— ANI MP/CG/Rajasthan (@ANI_MP_CG_RJ) December 6, 2023

On 6 December, a video surfaced on social media showing a man named Rohit Godara making an appeal to the Jaipur police saying that his name was being misused in connection with Gogamedi’s murder. ^[11]Free Press Journal In the video, he said,

I am Rohit Godara, a student studying and doing my studies. I have nothing to do with the incident that happened in Rajasthan yesterday, I am being defamed, some people are harassing me on social media by using my photo.”

मैं रोहित गोदारा पढ़ाई करने वाला छात्र हूं और अपनी पढ़ाई करता हु।कल राजस्थान में जो घटना हुई उससे मेरा कोई लेना देना नहीं है,मुझे बदनाम किया जा रहा है,कुछ लोग मेरी फोटो का उपयोग कर मुझे सोशल मीडिया पर परेशान कर रहे है।
अत:@PoliceRajasthan कृपया संज्ञान ले @8PMnoCM @bikaner_police pic.twitter.com/HtDQ7e107K

— Rohit Godara (@Rohit_BKN) December 6, 2023