Amritsar (Punjab) [India], January 6 (HBTV): Punjab Police on Monday identified the attackers involved in the killing of a village sarpanch, with senior officials linking the crime to organised networks operating from abroad.
Addressing concerns over contract killings, Additional Director General of Police Pramod Ban said a small group of fugitives living overseas on fraudulent documents was actively disturbing peace in the state by exploiting local youth to carry out serious crimes. ‘Around 40 to 50 individuals who fled the country using fake identities are now manipulating our young generation for their selfish interests. We are committed to dismantling these hostile networks and stopping this cycle,’ the ADGP said.
Meanwhile, Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal strongly condemned the killing of Sarpanch Jarnail Singh of Valtoha village in Tarn Taran district, who was shot dead during a wedding function in Amritsar on Sunday. In a message shared on X, Badal described the incident as a cold-blooded murder and expressed concern over what he termed a growing pattern of targeted violence.
He said similar incidents had occurred in recent days, including the shooting of a young man in Bhinder Kalan in Moga and the killing of a woman in Kapurthala. Badal alleged that targeted killings in public places had become routine and accused the state government of failing to maintain law and order, holding Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who also holds the Home portfolio, responsible.
The incidents have raised fresh concerns over public safety and the effectiveness of law enforcement in Punjab, triggering renewed political criticism of the Aam Aadmi Party-led state government.