Punjab ASI Shot Dead by Motorcycle-Borne Assailants
The killing in Tarn Taran triggers fresh criticism of the Bhagwant Mann government over law and order, while police launch a search for the attackers.
GG News Bureau
TARN TARAN, 12th Oct: A Punjab Police assistant sub-inspector, Iqbal Singh, was shot dead by two unidentified motorcycle-borne assailants in Naushehra Pannua on Sunday evening, prompting fresh questions over security in the border region.
Deputy Inspector General of Police (Ferozepur Range) Snehdeep Sharma said Singh, who was posted in Makhu in Ferozepur district, was returning home when the attackers opened fire at close range. Two bullets struck him. He was rushed to a hospital but was declared brought dead.
Police teams are investigating the killing, examining CCTV footage from nearby areas and pursuing leads to identify and apprehend the assailants. Sharma said investigators were working on available leads and expected to arrest the suspects soon.
The killing comes amid a series of shootings involving police personnel in the state. On October 4, assistant sub-inspector Sukhchain Singh, posted with the Government Railway Police in Amritsar, was injured when three motorcycle-borne assailants allegedly shot him in the left arm.
Last month, ASI Harjit Singh was shot dead by two motorcycle-borne men at the Bhagtanwala grain market in Amritsar during the intervening night of September 18 and 19.
The latest incident has intensified concerns over the safety of police personnel, particularly in Punjab’s border districts.
Opposition leaders criticised the Aam Aadmi Party government following Iqbal Singh’s killing.
Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia described the incident as the seventh murder of a policeman in the border area, alleging that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had failed to maintain law and order. Mann also holds the state’s home portfolio.
Former Union minister and BJP leader Ravneet Singh Bittu questioned how ordinary residents of border villages could feel secure if police personnel themselves were being targeted.
Punjab BJP leader Parminder Singh Brar also criticised the government, contrasting the Chief Minister’s security arrangements with the safety concerns of ordinary citizens.
The opposition’s statements have added to political pressure on the state government. Police, meanwhile, are continuing the investigation, with the identification and arrest of the attackers remaining the immediate priority.
