Meerut (UP), Apr 16 (IANS): A BJP councillor has been found dead in his car with a bullet wound.

Manish Chaudhary's body was found on the driver's seat in Kankerkhera on Thursday. A country-made pistol, a bottle of liquor and a glass were also lying by his side in the SUV, police said.

Manish Chaudhary a.k.a. Mintu, 38, had hit the headlines in 2018 after a video in which he was seen thrashing a police officer went viral.

A BJP ward member of Meerut Municipal Corporation, Chaudhary had served a jail term for thrashing a sub-inspector in his restaurant three years ago. The policeman had come for lunch with a woman lawyer when an argument had broken out over the delay in serving the food.

It was then that Chaudhary had allegedly attacked the policeman after an argument. The video of the incident was widely shared on social media platforms. Chaudhary was later booked and sent to jail.

On Thursday, police claimed that Chaudhary shot himself dead after speaking to a relative over the phone.

Chaudhary's brother-in-law, Kuldeep Dhama, has filed a police complaint alleging murder.

"My brother-in-law had left home on Thursday evening. He had to settle some property deal and was carrying Rs 9 lakh in cash and some gold jewellery. He was fine and in good health. It seems someone has killed him," Dhama told reporters.

SP (city) Vineet Bhatnagar said, "Prima facie, it is a case of suicide which can be corroborated by an audio clip which he had sent to a relative that points towards his desire to end his life. But we are probing the matter. Forensic teams have collected the samples and post mortem examination report is awaited."