An Aam Aadmi Party sarpanch was shot dead during a wedding ceremony at a resort in Amritsar on Sunday, the second such killing in the past 48 hours.
The victim has been identified as Jarmal Singh, sarpanch of Valtoha Sandhua village in Tarn Taran.
He was gunned down by two armed assailants, who had come to the resort located near Verka on the Amritsar-Attari road wearing suits to blend with guests.
The police said they shot the victim in the head.
Ruling AAP’s Khem Karan legislator Sarwan Singh Dhun was also present at the function when the incident took place.
On Saturday, Umarsir Singh, a Congress leader, was shot dead in Moga’s Bhinder Kalan village. He was killed allegedly in an incident linked to political rivalry. The police had booked seven people, including the village’s AAP sarpanch.
‘Received threats’ from foreign-based gangster
Amritsar Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Jagjit Singh Walia said the recording of the CCTV cameras installed in the resort is being scanned to identify the murderers.
This was fourth murder attempt on Jarmal Singh, who worked as a commission agent and construction contractor, said people close to him. They claimed that Jarmal was getting extortion threats from foreign-based gangster Prabh Dassuwal for past over a year.
However, the DCP said they did not know if the victim received threats.
“The victim had arrived here to attend a marriage function when he was shot dead. We have started a thorough probe into the incident using technical and human intelligence,” he added. The incident took place around 3 pm when Jarmal was sitting on a table along with others.
They was shot from point-blank range, leaving him dead. The firing led to a panic among those attending the function. The police suspected that the accused had done his recee. Karamjit Singh, a resident of Valtoha, told The Tribune that in March last year, three bike-borne men had shot at his vehicle when he was returning home. He had survived three murderous attempts previously. “He had lodged complaints with the police every time,” Karamjit said.
Congress demands Mann’s resignation
The incident drew sharp reaction from the state’s main Opposition Congress. The party’s Amritsar Lok Sabha member Gurjit Aujla accused the AAP government of failing to maintain law and order.
He alleged that foreign-based gangsters continued to target innocent people belonging to the trading community. “Given the serious national security implications, both the Punjab Government and the Centre must work in close coordination to identify, track and decisively dismantle these hostile networks operating from abroad,” he said.
Jalandhar Cantonment Congress legislator and former Punjab minister Pargat Singh sought the resignation of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, blaming his government for “unchecked surge” in crime and violence across the state.
He warned that the situation had been slipping out of the government’s hands completely.
“Punjab has never witnessed such lawlessness in recent years,” he added.
Citing recent incidents, he said that in the past 48 hours, two young political leaders have been shot dead in broad daylight. He said on Saturday over 20 bullets were pumped into Congress leader Umarsir Singh village Bhindar Kalan village in Moga