A 40-year-old Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) sarpanch was shot dead during a wedding ceremony in Tarn Taran district, raising fresh concerns over the law and order situation in Punjab.
The victim, Harbarinder Singh, was serving as sarpanch of Thathian Mehantan village under Sarhali police station. According to police, he had gone to Sidhu Farm in Sheron village to attend a relative’s wedding when the attack occurred around 3.15 pm.
Attack in presence of 500 guests
As per initial reports, three armed assailants arrived on a motorcycle. One attacker allegedly approached Singh from behind and shot him in the head at close range. Nearly 500 guests were present at the venue at the time.
Singh’s cousin, Jermandeep Singh, attempted to intervene with his licensed pistol but was critically injured when another assailant opened fire using an AK-47 rifle. The attackers fled the scene on a motorcycle, aided by an accomplice waiting outside.
Officials from the Punjab Police reached the spot within 20 minutes and recovered empty cartridges. Singh, a commission agent and farmer, is survived by two young sons.
Political blame game intensifies
Opposition leaders from the Shiromani Akali Dal and the Indian National Congress criticised the state government, alleging a collapse of law and order.
SSP Surendra Lamba said preliminary investigations suggest possible personal enmity, ruling out extortion at this stage. Multiple teams, including forensic experts, have been formed to analyse CCTV footage.
Senior officers suspended
In response to the incident, Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav suspended DSP Jagbir Singh of Patti and SHO Gurvinder Singh of Sarhali over alleged lapses in preventive policing.
Notably, this is the second killing of an AAP sarpanch at a wedding function in recent weeks, intensifying public debate over security and governance in the border state.