RTI activist shot dead in Punjab, cops arrest cousin, say killing outcome of financial dispute

Detailing the sequence of events, the senior police officer said that incident was the outcome of a financial dispute between the two men, both involved in the real estate business. He said Sharanjit had called the RTI activist for a meeting near the Phagwara bypass. They travelled to Maheru village to inspect a plot on Saturday morning. Simranjit arrived in his SUV, while Sharanjit came in a car with five associates, he said.

The two entered into a verbal altercation over some financial transactions. Simranjit owed approximately Rs 5 lakh to Sharanjit, the DIG said.

While Simranjit was standing on the plot near Law Gate in Maheru village, Sharanjit shot him from behind with the .32-bore pistol. The victim suffered two gunshot wounds to the head and died instantly, the officer said, adding after the shooting, Sharanjit and his associates fled the scene.

Singla said, on getting information, he along with Kapurthala SSP Gaurav Toora, reached the location ans secured the evidence. Special teams were constituted to investigate the case. Acting on technical and human intelligence inputs, police tracked down and arrested the accused from the Phagwara bypass area, the DIG said, adding a case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita has been registered.

About a year ago, Simranjit had survived an assault in Jalandhar’s Model Town area, following which he was provided security cover by the Punjab government. Earlier, Simranjit’s family members had said that he left his residence around 7 am after receiving a phone call. They said he routinely carried a licensed weapon because of threats he had faced in the past. According to the family, his government-provided security personnel had not accompanied him at the time of the attack.

The killing, meanwhile, drew sharp reactions as Simranjit was well-known for filing RTIs and public interest litigations in the Punjab and Haryana High Court on issues ranging from alleged corruption and irregular appointments to land disputes and administrative decisions.

Last month, he had filed a petition challenging the constitutional validity of the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Act, 2026 — the new anti-sacrilege law notified last month by the Punjab government.

Over the years, he had filed numerous complaints against public representatives, bureaucrats and government functionaries. Among them were complaints questioning alleged foreign travel by elected representatives and ministers without requisite clearances, allegations regarding the use of public funds, and complaints concerning the alleged misuse of official privileges.

He had also challenged the appointment of the chairman of the Punjab State Minority Commission before the High Court, alleging that statutory norms had not been followed. In another petition, he questioned the posting of certain officers to senior positions and sought action in matters involving alleged administrative irregularities.

Simranjit had filed complaints relating to illegal colonies and urban development projects, which reportedly resulted in inquiries against some officials. He had also sought investigations into alleged corruption in various departments and regularly pursued RTI applications concerning public administration.

Among his prominent legal interventions was a public interest litigation seeking a court-monitored probe into the deaths of three patients following an alleged oxygen supply disruption at Civil Hospital, Jalandhar.

The opposition parties, meanwhile, targeted the AAP government over the law and order situation in the state.

Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring alleged that the law and order has completely collapsed in Punjab under the AAP government. “Nobody, except Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, is safe in Punjab today”, he said, emphasising that Mann is only secure due to the protection of hundreds of police officers.

Claiming that criminals, gangsters, and terrorists seem to have no fear of the law in Punjab, he said that just a few days ago, an ASI was shot dead in Amritsar and the police remain “clueless”. “It is high time that Mann owns the responsibility as not only he happens to be the head of the government, but also the head of the home department, which is responsible for the security of the state,” he said.

Warring said that the situation is “fast drifting” out of control.

Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal also condemned the murder, calling it a direct attack on democracy and transparency. “He had earlier narrowly escaped an assassination attempt in Jalandhar city. Learnt that he is the same advocate who had filed a PIL in the Punjab and Haryana High Court challenging the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Act, 2026. Given the gravity of the matter, this incident demands a thorough investigation by an independent agency,” Badal said.

Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Assembly Partap Singh Bajwa said this is another brutal reminder of how law and order has “collapsed” under the Bhagwant Mann government. “From gangsters to shooters, criminals seem to be operating without fear while the government remains busy with publicity and headlines. Punjab deserves justice, security and accountability. How many more lives will be lost before this government wakes up?” Bajwa wrote in a post on X.