An Amritsar-based leader of Shiv Sena, Sudhir Kumar Suri, was shot dead during a protest by the party in Punjab’s holy city.
As per the video of the incident shared on social media, the incident took place at one of the busiest places in Amritsar, outside Gopal Mandir on Majitha Road, when Suri and some other Shiv Sena leaders were holding a protest in the presence of the police over some dispute over the management of the temple.
He could be seen sitting in the middle of his party workers and armed policemen were standing behind him. The police said five shots were fired at Suri while he was holding a dharna (sit-in) as part of the protest. Some of these shots hit Suri and he reportedly lost consciousness following the firing. He was rushed to a hospital where Suri succumbed to bullet injuries.
The police said the accused Sandeep alias Sunny, who ran a garment shop meters away from the protest site, has been arrested and the weapon used in the crime seized.
The Director General of Police, Gaurav Yadav said the accused used his licensed weapon for the crime. “Iit’s too early to say if Suri was shot due to some enmity with the accused. But the accused has revealed that he had never met Suri,” the DGP said the police will take strict action over rumor mongering over the incident.
Some unconfirmed reports said the accused was peeved over the dharna in front of his shop. The DGP, however, said the motive of the killing is not clear yet.
Suri was in the hit list of several gangsters for a long time and was provided security by the government. Yadav confirmed Punjab Police personnel were deputed for his security but he didn’t disclose their number for security reasons.
Meanwhile, Opposition parties slammed the Bhagwant Mann government over the incident by questioning the law and order situation in the state.
The Bharatiya Janata Party’s Punjab unit president Ashwani Sharma said the law and order situation has completely broken down in the state.
Congress state president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring said the law and order in the state was going from bad to worse.
Former Chief Minister and BJP leader Captain Amarinder Singh appealed to everyone to maintain peace and harmony and fight enemies of Punjab together.
“While it reflects poorly on the law and order situation in Punjab, I hope culprits are given exemplary punishment,” he said in a tweet.