Punjab Asi Murder: ASI gunned down in Tarn Taran; 5th cop to be murdered in Punjab this year | Chandigarh News
CHANDIGARH: An assistant sub-inspector (ASI) with the counter-intelligence wing was shot dead by two motorcycle-borne assailants while returning home after duty late Sunday evening. Iqbal Singh (55) is the fifth policeman to be murdered in Punjab this year.A resident of Naushera Pannuan, around 15 km from Tarn Taran, Iqbal sustained at least two bullet injuries in the attack, and died on the spot. The killers sped away and are yet to be identified.Tarn Taran SSP Surendra Lamba said, “The ASI was posted in Makhu (70 km from Amritsar). He was being followed by two bike-borne assailants who shot two to three bullets at him between 6:15 pm and 6:30 pm on Louhka Road in Tarn Taran district. We have got some leads and hope to trace the accused soon.”
Targeted attacks
As per initial information, the ASI was driving back after a “private visit” and wasn’t in uniform, said the SSP.A senior police officer said Iqbal’s nephew is Ajmeet Singh, an accused in the 2022 Sarhali police station RPG attack case, who was shot dead in Naushera Pannuan on Sept 11 while on bail.According to sources, investigators are examining if the two murders are connected. The accused in Ajmeet’s killing was injured in a police encounter and arrested. “We are investigating the organised crime angle and revenge killings by gangsters,” said a senior police officer.Police are also examining a social media post in which gangsters Doni Bal, Prabh Dasuwal, Mohabbat Randhawa, Afridi Toot, Amar Khabbe and Shaganpreet purportedly took responsibility for Iqbal’s murder.The post claimed that the ASI was close to “our rival Landa Harike”, and hinted at a revenge killing over the murder of a sarpanch. The same group had claimed responsibility for Ajmeet’s murder.The slain ASI was earlier posted in Ferozepur counterintelligence and had been transferred to Tarn Taran recently. “There is a high probability this was a targeted killing by an organised crime network. We are investigating the case from all angles,” said the SSP.The murder is the latest in a series of attacks on police officials in Punjab. On Feb 22, ASI Gurnam Singh and home guard Ashok Kumar were shot dead inside a police station in Gurdaspur.On May 24, ASI Joga Singh was shot dead in Majitha and on Sept 17, ASI Harjit Singh was shot dead in Amritsar. On Sept 12, ASI Jaswant Singh narrowly survived a murder bid in Amritsar, and on Oct 4, ASI Sukhchain Singh was injured after being shot at in Ajnala.The attacks have triggered criticism from opposition parties. Former Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring said, “Punjab is bleeding, and Bhagwant Mann’s govt has serious questions to answer… Repeated shootings and killings are creating fear across Punjab. Bhagwant Mann, how many more lives must be lost before your govt wakes up? When police personnel themselves are being targeted, what sense of security can ordinary citizens expect?”Punjab BJP president Kewal Singh Dhillon posted on X: “In a Punjab where even those in uniform are not safe, who can the common Punjabi rely on? On one side, grand advertising claims about law and order; on the other, blood spilling on the streets. AAP has completely failed on the law and order front.”SAD functionary Bikram Singh Majithia alleged that CM Bhagwant Mann has “badly failed to maintain law and order in Punjab”. “CM is busy criticizing opponents and entertaining people with jokes while murderers continue to ambush and attack our police personnel… Arvind Kejriwal is taking Punjab back to the era it was engulfed in violence,” Majithia tweeted.
