AAP sarpanch's son shot dead in Amritsar village over old enmity, friend wounded

A young man was shot dead in Cheeta Kalan village in Punjab's Amritsar district. The victim, Teerath Singh, was the son of the village sarpanch from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

According to the information available, the incident took place around 7.30 pm on Monday. Teerath Singh had come to pay obeisance with his friend Ranjit Singh when the two were fired upon, owing to an old enmity with some villagers. The attackers are said to have fired around 7 to 8 rounds.

Two of the bullets hit Teerath Singh, and he died. His friend Ranjit Singh was hit in the thigh and is being treated in hospital. Police say he is out of danger.

Police have identified four accused, named as Gurjant, Gora, Harkirat alias Hockey and Gurdit Singh. An FIR has been registered naming all four, and separate teams are conducting raids to arrest them.

Teerath Singh's family has a political background. His brother is a member of the block samiti, while his mother is the village sarpanch. Amritsar Rural SSP Kawalpreet Singh Chahal said that, going by the initial investigation, this is not a case of gang war and appears to be a personal enmity. He said police are trying to arrest the accused as soon as possible.

Earlier, on October 13, Parminder Jhota, an activist working against drugs in Punjab, was also murdered. Ashwani Kumar, owner of a medical store, shot him in a crowded market in Mansa. Jhota, a resident of the Mansa area, had been raising his voice against drug abuse.

An atmosphere of fear prevails in the village after the incident at Cheeta Kalan. Police are searching for the accused and the investigation continues.