BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — More information tonight about the former Bakersfield City Council candidate who was arrested over the weekend for allegedly attempting to hire people to shot multiple other people and burn down a local Sikh temple.
Video obtained from a member of the Sikh temple on Stine Road just north of Panama Lane shows what appears to be Rajvir Singh Gill, 60, disrupting a prior service at the temple.
Gill, who ran in 2022 to represent City Council Ward 7, was arrested Saturday on 6 counts of soliciting criminal acts. Police say in addition to offering someone money in exchange for burning down the temple, Gill tried to pay people to shoot others who he had an ongoing dispute with.
Kern County Superior Court records show that Gill has been involved as a named defendant in an ongoing lawsuit which was originally filed in October 2021. The plaintiff in that case, the temple featured in that video, filed a complaint against Gill and multiple others for alleged fraud and monetary damages.
READ MORE: Former City Council candidate arrested by BPD for allegedly soliciting criminal acts
In that case, Gill is next expected to appear for a mandatory settlement conference in that case in February 2024.
