'Gangster' accused in murder case of sarpanch in Amritsar killed in police encounter

Amritsar: An alleged gangster, who was an accused in the murder case of a village head in Punjab's Amritsar, was killed in an exchange of fire with police in Tarn Taran district on Tuesday.

Harnoor Singh, a gangster working with criminal operatives Afridi and Prabh Dassuwal, was killed in the police encounter, officials said.

He was one of the accused in the murder case of Sarpanch Jharmal Singh, who was also a leader of the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

Jharmal was shot dead at a wedding venue in Amritsar on Sunday. He was a resident of Valthoa village in Tarn Taran.

The encounter took place in the Bhikhiwind police station area, when teams from the Tarn Taran police and Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) initiated a manhunt on the basis of information.

Police said Singh was riding a motorcycle that did not have a number plate, when he was chased and cornered. When signalled to stop, he allegedly opened fire at the police personnel. In retaliatory action, the accused was killed after being hit by a bullet.

Talking to reporters, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police Sneh Deep Sharma said the special operation was carried out by a team led by the senior superintendent of police (SSP) of Tarn Taran.

"When the accused saw that he was surrounded by the police party, he opened fire. A bullet hit a police personnel but he was not harmed as he was wearing a bulletproof jacket," Sharma said.

The accused was rushed to a hospital in a seriously-injured condition but he succumbed to his injuries, the officer added.

A pistol was seized from the spot.

The DIG said the accused was involved in the planning part in the murder case and the shooters who executed the killing were working in accordance with his plan.

After the village head's killing, a social media post purportedly by gangster Dasuwal, along with Doni Bal and others, claimed responsibility.

According to police, the sarpanch had survived three previous attacks, indicating a long-standing threat to his life.

CCTV footage showed two unidentified assailants walking into the wedding venue, one of them pulling out a gun and firing at the victim's head from point-blank range.

The sarpanch was rushed to a hospital but succumbed to his injuries.

The two assailants, who had not covered their faces, fled the spot after the incident. Several guests were present at the wedding.

The AAP government had drawn flak from the opposition parties after the village head's killing.

Reacting to the death of the key accused in the murder case, AAP's state general secretary and media in-charge Baltej Pannu said the law-and-order machinery in Punjab is fully secure and in capable hands, and the Punjab Police is performing its duty commendably.

Pannu asserted that any individual, no matter how powerful, will face strict police action if he tries to take the law into his own hands.

He said the government, led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, is fully committed to taking strict action against criminals.