AAP leader shot dead in Punjab's Jalandhar; oppn slams Mann-led govt

Chandigarh: Punjab Aam Aadmi Party leader Lucky Oberoi was shot dead on Friday outside a gurdwara in Jalandhar's Model Town by unidentified assailants, police said.

The incident took place in the morning, a senior police official from Jalandhar said over the phone, adding that he was rushed to a hospital in an unconscious state and succumbed to the bullet injuries.

Oberoi, 38, a Jalandhar-based AAP leader, had arrived at the gurdwara in his car. He was preparing to leave in his Mahindra Thar Roxx after paying obeisance. The assailants, who were on a two-wheeler, opened 8-10 shots at him, police said.

He was rushed to a hospital in Jalandhar, but succumbed to injuries, ACP Jalandhar, Parminder Singh said.

Police said the attackers fired several bullets at the vehicle and fled.

After the incident, a police force reached the spot.

The assailants may have carried out a recce of Oberoi's movements, police sources said.

In the firing incident, the window panes of Oberoi's Thar vehicle and of another vehicle parked in the area were shattered.

Further investigations are underway, police said, adding that CCTV footage is being scanned to trace the assailants.

A doctor at a private hospital where Oberoi was admitted, told reporters that he was brought in around 8:10 am.

"He was unconscious, and his blood pressure was unrecordable. Eight to nine rounds were fired at him, and one of the bullets pierced through his chest," the doctor said.

Despite best efforts, Oberoi could not be saved, the doctor added.

Meanwhile, opposition parties hit out at the Bhagwant Mann-led dispensation over the incident, alleging the collapse of law and order in the state under AAP rule.

Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa in a post on X said, "The shocking daylight murder of @AAPPunjab leader Lucky Oberoi outside a gurdwara in Jalandhar, exposes the grim reality: if even ruling party leaders aren't safe, what hope remains for ordinary citizens?" "Punjab today is gripped by fear, gang violence, and administrative paralysis, while the AAP government remains busy with PR and excuses. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann must answer: who is responsible for this complete breakdown?" Bajwa said in his post.

Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal, in a post on X, alleged "Punjab is bleeding under Aam Aadmi Party's 'zero fear' govt!" "Even AAP leaders are not safe in their own govt! The daylight murder of @AAPPunjab leader Lucky Oberoi outside a Gurdwara in Jalandhar today morning exemplifies this fact.

"Nearly 25 murders in January 2026 alone, after 9 in the first week of the year. They are happening everywhere, be it a court complex, busy bazaar, wedding venue or even outside a Gurdwara Sahib," he said.

"Where is the @PunjabPoliceInd 's much hyped 'war on gangsters'? This is anarchy, not governance! @BhagwantMann, you don't deserve to be in the chair even for one more day," Badal said in his post.

SAD senior leader Bikram Singh Majithia and Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring also took on the Mann government over the incident.

"This has become a new norm in Punjab. Kill anyone anywhere as per whims and fancies'¦. Shame on you @BhagwantMann '¦You and your @DGPPunjabPolice have completely destroyed Punjab. Total collapse of Law and Order and still you are not ready to admit it'¦," Majithia said in a post on X.

Congress's Amrinder Singh Raja Warring said nobody is safe under AAP rule in Punjab. "This is what we have been warning time and again. AAP has pushed Punjab into Jungle Raj," he said.

BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh also slammed the Mann government and said that the brutal daylight killing of AAP leader is not just a murder; it is a chilling reminder that Punjab is slipping into complete lawlessness.

"When leaders of the ruling party themselves are being gunned down in public places, it exposes the utter collapse of governance and the dangerous rise of gangster raj across the state. If those in power are not safe, what protection remains for the common people of Punjab?" Chugh said in a post on X.

Chugh said that AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal promised to eradicate criminals and miscreants from Punjab, "but instead it has pushed the state deeper into fear, drugs, organised crime and administrative paralysis. The Mann government appears more interested in political optics and PR than in protecting lives.

"My Punjab, once known for its courage and prosperity, is now being pushed towards anarchy due to sheer incompetence and lack of leadership. The people of Punjab deserve security, dignity and a government that can actually govern," Chugh said.