An unidentified assailant shot dead Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) sarpanch Harbinder Singh at a wedding function in Punjab's Tarn Taran district. Harbinder Singh's cousin Jarmandeep Singh was critically injured when another attacker fired at him with an AK-47 while trying to intervene. This marks the second such killing of a sarpanch in the district since January 4.
In Thathian Mehantan village of Punjab's Tarn Taran district, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) sarpanch Harbinder Singh was shot dead at a wedding function held at Sidhu Farm banquet venue on Wednesday. According to police officers, Harbinder Singh was sitting on a sofa with his relatives when an assailant approached from behind and shot him in the head, killing him on the spot.
Harbinder Singh's cousin Jarmandeep Singh attempted to save him and apprehend the attacker, but another assailant opened fire at him with an AK-47, leaving him critically injured. Jarmandeep Singh was immediately shifted to a private hospital in Amritsar for treatment. Officers said it was not clear if the first attacker used the same gun, and a probe is underway.
Around 500 guests were present at the function when the attackers carried out the crime and escaped on a motorcycle with the help of a third accomplice waiting outside the venue. Senior police officers, including SSP Tarn Taran Surinder Lamba, rushed to the spot along with other personnel. Police teams have been formed to trace and arrest the accused.
This is the second murder of a sarpanch in the border district since January 4. On that day, sarpanch Jarmal Singh of Valtoha village was shot point-blank during a wedding at a resort in Amritsar over defiance of extortion threats from gangsters. The brazen attack occurred in the presence of Aam Aadmi Party’s Khemkaran MLA Sarwan Singh Dhun, sending shockwaves through the district.
