Orphaned at three, jailed among adults at 17, killed at 21: The Ajmeet Singh story
Born on May 11, 2005, Singh was 17 years and five months old when Amritsar police first arrested him in October 2022, in a case where he had not even been named in the original FIR but was added later.
Just three years old when he lost both his parents, Ajmeet Singh was raised by his grandmother until she too died when he was thirteen. By seventeen, he was in a police cell. By twenty-one, he was dead, shot four times outside his home in Naushehra Pannuan village, Tarn Taran, on September 11. The tragedy of his life, his family says, was never really about the crimes he was accused of rather it was the paperwork delay that put a minor in an adult prison and kept him there for two years.
Born on May 11, 2005, Singh was 17 years and five months old when Amritsar police first arrested him in October 2022, in a case where he had not even been named in the original FIR but was added later. Despite being a teen, he was lodged in Goindwal Sahib jail with adult inmates rather than sent to a juvenile facility. It was not until December 2024 — more than two years later — that a court formally recognized him as a juvenile.
In the interim, police allege, he became entangled in one of Punjab’s most notorious attacks: the December 2022 RPG assault on Sarhali police station, allegedly coordinated with foreign-based operatives while he sat behind bars. Nine minors were eventually identified in that case; seven were released after a press conference by the then-SSP of Tarn Taran. Ajmeet was not among them — he remained listed as an adult accused. He was eventually nominated in eleven cases in total, five of them registered before his first arrest.
He finally secured bail across all eleven cases in April 2026, only to be arrested a month later for allegedly possessing an Uttar Pradesh-made pistol without ammunition — a charge his family dismisses as fabricated.
His aunt, Jaskaranpreet Kaur, rejected the official account. “Everyday drones land in Tarn Taran with weapons and heroin. But according to the police, my nephew went all the way to Uttar Pradesh to buy a pistol — without any bullets. They connect him to Landa on one side and say he was going to UP to buy an illegal pistol on the other. This makes no sense. He was never mentioned in any FIR except the last one, which was fake. He was always nominated. He was a scapegoat for the crimes committed by others,” she said.
Her anger, though, cuts deeper than that one arrest. It is aimed at the system that lodged a child among hardened criminals in the first place. “If he had been sent to juvenile detention when he was first arrested in October 2022, he would never have come into contact with any hardcore criminal in jail. You send a child to jail, keep him with hardcore criminals, and then blame him for conspiring to attack a police station from behind bars. Who is responsible for sending a child to live with criminals? Who allowed criminal activities from jail? Who allowed Landa, sitting in a foreign country, to make calls into Punjab’s prisons? Not my nephew. But who paid for all of this with his life? My nephew,” she said.
His lawyer, Vikramjeet Singh, reduced it to a single question “A boy just entering his teenage years was forced to live with criminals. Will anyone be held responsible for this?”
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Days after his death, a group calling itself Gopi Ghanshampuria claimed responsibility in an unverified social media post, alleging he had been sent to conduct surveillance on their associates. “Donny Ball, Prabh Dasuwal, Afridi Toot, Mohabbat Randhawa, Amar Khabbe and Shagan Preet take responsibility for Jagmeet’s murder in Naushehra Pannuan. He was a close associate of Landa and Satta Naushehra, and at their behest, he wanted to conduct reconnaissance on our associates to cause them harm. Anyone who tries to harm our associates will meet the same fate,” the post read.
The post names him as Jagmeet, not Ajmeet — an inconsistency that investigators have not yet publicly addressed. Whether the claim is authentic or opportunistic, it captures the world the system delivered him into — one where a boy orphaned at three became, by the time he died, a name on a gang hitlist.
Investigative officer in RPG attack case Gurdeep Singh said, “Initial it was not known that he was minor. We filed the challan against him in Juvenile court as later it was known that he was minor.”
Kamaldeep Singh Brar is a Principal Correspondent at The Indian Express, primarily covering Amritsar and the Majha region of Punjab. He is one of the publication's key reporters for stories involving the Akal Takht, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), and the sensitive socio-political issues of the border districts.
Core Beats & Specializations
Religious & Panthic Affairs: He has deep expertise in the internal workings of the Akal Takht and SGPC, frequently reporting on religious sentences (Tankhah), Panthic politics, and the influence of Sikh institutions.
National Security & Crime: His reporting covers cross-border drug smuggling, drone activities from Pakistan, and the activities of radical groups.
Regional Politics: He is the primary correspondent for the Majha belt, covering elections and political shifts in Amritsar, Tarn Taran, and Gurdaspur.
Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025)
His work in late 2025 has been centered on judicial developments, local body elections, and religious controversies:
1. Religious Politics & Akal Takht
"Akal Takht pronounces religious sentences against former Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh" (Dec 8, 2025): Covering the historic decision to hold the former Jathedar guilty for granting a pardon to Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim in 2015.
"YouTube suspends SGPC’s channel for a week over video on 1984 Army action" (Nov 20, 2025): Reporting on the digital friction between global tech platforms and Sikh religious bodies.
"As AAP govt grants Amritsar holy tag, a look at its fraught demand" (Nov 28, 2025): An analytical piece on the long-standing demand for declaring Amritsar a "holy city" and its political implications.
2. Crime & National Security
"Mostly Khalistanis on Amritpal’s hit list: Punjab govt to High Court" (Dec 16, 2025): Reporting on the state government's claims regarding jailed MP Amritpal Singh orchestrating activity from prison.
"Punjab man with links to Pakistan’s ISI handlers killed in encounter" (Nov 20, 2025): Detailing a police operation in Amritsar involving "newly refurbished" firearms likely sent from across the border.
"15 schools in Amritsar get bomb threat emails; police launch probe" (Dec 12, 2025): Covering the panic and police response to mass threats against educational institutions.
3. Political Analysis & Elections
"AAP wins 12 of 15 zones in SAD stronghold Majitha" (Dec 19, 2025): Highlighting a significant shift in the 2025 rural elections where the Akali Dal lost its grip on a traditional fortress.
"Tarn Taran bypoll: woman faces threats after complaining to CM Mann about drug menace" (Nov 9, 2025): A ground report on the personal risks faced by citizens speaking out against the illegal drug trade in border villages.
"AAP wins Tarn Taran bypoll, but SAD finds silver lining" (Nov 14, 2025): Analyzing the 2025 assembly by-election results and the surprising performance of Independents backed by radical factions.
4. Human Interest
"Two couples and a baby: Punjab drug addiction tragedy has new victims" (Nov 20, 2025): A tragic investigative piece about parents selling an infant to fund their addiction.
"Kashmiri women artisans debut at Amritsar’s PITEX" (Dec 8, 2025): A feature on financial independence initiatives for rural women at the Punjab International Trade Expo.
Signature Beat
Kamaldeep is known for his nuanced understanding of border dynamics. His reporting often highlights the "drug crisis in the underprivileged localities" (like Muradpur in Tarn Taran, Nov 9, 2025), providing a voice to marginalized communities affected by addiction and administrative neglect.
X (Twitter): @kamalsbrar ... Read More
