An alleged gangster accused in the murder of an Amritsar village sarpanch was killed in a police encounter in Tarn Taran district on Tuesday, officials said.
Harnoor Singh, who allegedly worked with criminal operatives Afridi and Prabh Dassuwal, was an accused in the killing of sarpanch Jharmal Singh.
Jharmal, who was also a leader of the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), was a resident of Valthoa village in Tarn Taran. He was shot dead at point blank range at a wedding venue in Amritsar on Sunday by two unidentified assailants who had not covered their faces.
Police said the encounter took place in the Bhikhiwind police station area, when teams from the Tarn Taran police and Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) initiated a manhunt on the basis of information.
Harnoor Singh, who was riding a motorcycle that did not have a number plate, was chased and cornered, upon which he allegedly opened fire at the police personnel. In retaliatory action, he was killed after being hit by a bullet, said police officials.
Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police, Sneh Deep Sharma, said the special operation was carried out by a team led by the senior superintendent of police (SSP) of Tarn Taran.
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“When the accused saw that he was surrounded by the police party, he opened fire. A bullet hit a policeman, but he was not harmed as he was wearing a bulletproof jacket,” Sharma said.
The accused was rushed to a hospital with grievous injuries, but succumbed to his injuries, the officer added, and said a pistol was seized from the spot.
The DIG said Harnoor Singh was involved in planning Jharmal Singh’s murder and had directed the shooters to execute it. A social media post was purportedly made public by gangster Dasuwal, along with Doni Bal and others, claiming responsibility for the murder.
Police said the sarpanch had survived three previous attacks, indicating a long-standing threat to his life.
Jharmal Singh’s killing drew attention to Punjab’s deteriorating law and order situation, prompting the opposition parties to question the AAP government.
Reacting to the death of the key accused in the murder case, AAP’s state general secretary and media in-charge, Baltej Pannu, said the law and order machinery in Punjab is “fully secure” and “in capable hands”.
Commending the Punjab Police for performing its duty, Pannu said no individual, regardless of how powerful he may be, will be allowed to take law into his hands.
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