Former Sarpanch's Son Shot Dead In Punjab's Barnala, Probe Underway: Cops

The son of an ex-sarpanch, who was in his 40s, was shot dead by an assailant at a village in Barnala district on Saturday, police said.

The attacker, who has been identified, managed to flee, police said, adding that personal enmity could be the cause behind the crime.

Sukhwinder Singh Calcutta, the victim, was sitting at a property dealer's shop near the bus stand in Sehna village when he was shot by the accused.

Speaking to reporters, Barnala SSP Mohd Sarfaraz Alam said the accused has been identified as Jinder Singh, who, according to some eyewitnesses, was known to Sukhwinder Singh.

"Prima facie, personal enmity appears to be the cause behind the incident as shortly before the crime was committed, a video surfaced in which Jinder went live and talked about some monetary issue between him and the victim. We can verify that angle once the accused is arrested," the SSP said.

Police have set up multiple teams to trace and arrest the accused after registering a case based on a complaint filed by the deceased's family members, he said.

"Raids are being conducted at multiple locations. We will arrest the accused soon," the SSP said.

The opposition, meanwhile, slammed the AAP government for the "deteriorating law and order" in Punjab.

"Sukhwinder Singh Calcutta was brutally shot dead near the Sehna bus stand in broad daylight," senior Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa said in a post on X.

"I urge the chief justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court to take suo motu cognisance (of the matter) and direct the Central agencies to conduct a fair and independent probe," the Leader of Opposition in Punjab Assembly added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)