AMRITSAR: The son of an
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) sarpanch was shot dead and his friend was injured when assailants opened fire on them outside a gurdwara in Cheete Kalan village, falling under Chatiwind police station, on Monday evening.
The victim, Teerath Singh, was returning after paying obeisance at the gurdwara along with his friend Ranjit Singh when the assailants allegedly opened indiscriminate fire, leaving both injured.
Teerath was rushed to a hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead, officials said.
Yadwinder Singh, Deputy superintendent of police (DSP), Attari, said that Ranjit, who sustained a bullet injury, is undergoing treatment and is stated to be out of danger.
The preliminary investigations suggested that the murder stemmed from an old animosity over a land dispute, the DSP said while ruling out any political rivalry.
He further said police have identified four persons, Gurditt Singh, Gurjant Singh, Harkirat Singh alias Hockey, and Gora, and registered an FIR naming them, but no arrests have been made so far.
The DSP said that teams have been constituted to investigate the case and arrest the accused.
Police sources also informed that the family of Teerath also suspects the involvement of a rival group from the village behind the incident.
Notably, Teerath’s brother Karaj Singh had won the sarpanch election on an AAP ticket.
The killing triggered a political attack on the AAP government, with former union minister Ravneet Singh Bittu questioning its ability to maintain law and order in Punjab.
In a X post, he said, “The murder of Teerath Singh, brother of an incumbent AAP sarpanch, outside a gurdwara in Amritsar is a stark indictment of Punjab’s collapsed law and order. Not a single day passes without the state being shaken by gunfire. When even the ruling party’s own representatives and their families are not safe, the security of ordinary citizens is left in God’s hands. Bhagwant Mann must be held accountable for this spiralling violence."
"Either enforce the writ of the state and ensure people’s safety, or resign. Punjab cannot be expected to keep picking up bodies day after day,” the post read further.