- A sarpanch from Punjab's Aam Aadmi Party was shot dead at a wedding hall in Amritsar
- Jarmal Singh was shot in the head by unidentified men and died in hospital
- The police are investigating the murder and reviewing CCTV footage to identify the attackers
A sarpanch from Punjab's ruling Aam Aadmi Party was shot dead at a wedding hall, the Marigold Resort, in Amritsar. Jarmal Singh, who had come to attend a relative's wedding, was shot in the head by unidentified men. He died during treatment in the hospital. The police said they are investigating the matter.
"We have been examining the spot and started investigation from all the angles," said Amritsar's Deputy Commissioner of Police Jagjeet Walia.
"During the initial investigation, we learnt that some attackers had entered the premises to kill him and they opened fire at him," said the officer, who is at the spot.
The police are trying to get CCTV camera footage to identify the shooters.
According to initial reports, Jarnail Singh had arrived at the venue to attend a wedding when unknown gunmen suddenly entered and opened fire. Eyewitnesses said that the men fired two shots at Singh. A video footage retrieved from the wedding hall show two attackers coming from behind and shooting him on the back of the head.He collapsed on the spot.
The firing caused chaos at the ceremony, with guests scrambling for safety. Amid the panic, Singh was rushed to a nearby hospital in critical condition. But despite the efforts of the doctors, he succumbed to his injuries during treatment.
The murder has sent shockwaves through Punjab's political circles. Over the last four days, two high profile murders took place in the state.
Yesterday a Congress worker (also a Nestle employee) was gunned down in Moga district -- allegedly by the sarpanch of the same village. The sarpanch is from Aam Aadmi Party.
Today an AAP sarpanch has been killed. Reports claim he was getting threats from gangsters
"Strongly condemn the cold-blooded murder of Sarpanch Jarnail Singh of Valtoha village (Tarn Taran), who was shot dead at a wedding function in Amritsar today. This follows an extremely worrisome pattern: yesterday, a young man was gunned down in Bhinder Kalan (Moga) and on Friday a woman was shot dead in Kapurthala," Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal posted on X.
"Targeted killings in public places have become routine, exposing the complete policing failure under Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who also holds the Home portfolio. The CM must be held accountable for this lawlessness," his post read.
