Tirath Singh, son of an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) sarpanch and brother of a party leader, was shot dead near a gurdwara in a village in Punjab’s Amritsar district on Monday night. His friend, Ranjit Singh, who was with him at the time, also sustained a gunshot injury.
The incident took place when the two men were returning after paying obeisance at the gurdwara. According to police, the assailants fired seven to eight rounds before fleeing the spot.
Both men were rushed to a hospital by locals after sustaining bullet injuries in the firing. Tirath, who had suffered serious injuries, was declared dead by doctors, while Ranjit Singh was also admitted for treatment. His condition was later reported to be out of danger.
While police suspect an old enmity behind the attack, the victim’s family has alleged that the firing took place after the men involved were stopped from taking drugs.
Police said Gurdit Singh allegedly held a grudge against Tirath’s brother, Karaj Singh, an AAP block samiti member, and suspected the attack was linked to this rivalry. Their mother is the serving sarpanch of the village and is affiliated with the party.
An FIR has been registered on the basis of the family’s complaint against four people, namely Gurdit Singh, Gurjant Singh, Harkirat Singh alias Haki and Gora. All the accused are the residents of the same village. Police said raids were underway to arrest the accused.
No arrests had been made till the filing of this report.
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