Former sarpanch shot dead in Ludhiana, attackers fire 10 rounds at his car

A former sarpanch was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Punjab’s Ludhiana on Sunday evening, with the attackers firing around 10 rounds at his car before fleeing the spot.

The victim was identified as 60-year-old Navtej Singh alias Neetu, former sarpanch of Manewal village under the Ladoval police station. The incident took place when he was returning home to Krishna Nagar from his village.

According to the police, Singh was travelling in his Toyota Innova when two motorcycle-borne assailants, who were apparently waiting for him, intercepted his vehicle near the bridge on South City Road along the Ladoval bypass. They opened fire at the car before escaping.

Singh sustained multiple bullet injuries and died in the attack.

Police teams have launched an investigation and are working to identify the assailants. The motive behind the killing is yet to be established.

The killing comes days after Navdeep Singh, the husband of a Shiromani Akali Dal sarpanch in Punjab’s Tarn Taran district, was shot dead in Gaggo Buha village. Police suspected personal enmity in that case and booked several people, who were reported to be absconding.

The latest incident also comes against the backdrop of a series of attacks on local political figures in Punjab. In February, the killing of Tarn Taran sarpanch Harbinder Sandhu during a wedding function had drawn attention to gang rivalries and violence targeting local leaders. At the time, Sandhu's murder was described as the third killing of a local leader in recent months.

The Ludhiana police are now probing the circumstances surrounding Singh's killing, including the identity of the attackers and the motive behind the shooting.- Ends

Kamaljit Sandhu is an award winning journalist working as Deputy Editor in India Today. She has nearly two decades of experience as a full time TV journalist. She covers "conflict" regions, Internal security matters, MEA and Parliament. Her work has often led to crisscrossing the country. She has also traveled to Pakistan and Iran, in pursuit of news stories. In 2019, she received the ENBA Award for best news programming for her ground report on "surviving Bastar" which was based on the government's policy on inducting tribals in Crpf in chattisgarh to counter naxals.

Personal interests: Kamaljit likes travelling, interior decoration and playing scrabble, Has varied interests in sporting activities like swimming, badminton and Yoga.