Third murder in 3 days: Assailants shoot dead ex-kabaddi player in Punjab, tell family ‘we killed him, go pick the body’

Manuke is also the native village of AAP’s Jagraon MLA Sarvjit Kaur Manuke.

Gagandeep’s father Gurdeep Singh Bagga, 60, told The Indian Express that after shooting his son dead, the assailants reached the village. “Some of our family members were standing outside in the street when the assailants came and announced and said ‘tuhada banda maar ta, chak lo jaake’ (we have killed your boy, go and pick up his body). This is nothing but lawlessness,” the father said. He added that his son was a former kabaddi player but currently worked as a labourer at a rice sheller. “The accused had a rivalry with my son’s friend Ekam. My son was trying to mediate between Ekam and the assailants but they shot him dead,” said the father.

Gagandeep’s wife Navpreet Kaur said her husband and Ekam used to play kababbi together “but the assailants were against it”. “On December 31, the accused had attacked Ekam with swords. Today, they called more men and shot my husband dead,” said Navpreet.

Meanwhile, Ludhiana range DIG Satinder Singh, who reached the spot, said that “it was a village-level rivalry” and “no issue related to kabaddi has surfaced so far.” The main accused has been identified as Gursewak Singh alias Motu, said the DIG.

“Both groups first had a petty clash due to the village-level rivalry in the morning. Later in the afternoon, Gursewak Singh alias Motu returned with several accomplices and opened fire. Both Gagandeep and Gursewak are from same village. We have already arrested one of the accused named by the family and the rest will be arrested soon. Prima facie, the victim sustained three bullet injuries,” said the DIG.

SSP Gupta said that both Gursewak and Gagandeep have previous criminal record. “We have recorded the statement of the victim’s family and the FIR for murder is being registered at Hathur police station against all the accused named by the family,” said SSP.

Resham Singh, a former sarpanch of Manuke village and associated with the SAD said: “The accused killed Gagandeep in Dana Mandi and then dumped his body in nearby fields. They then announced their crime in the streets and told family to pick up his body. This lawlessness is becoming an everyday story in Punjab”.

MLA Sarvjit Kaur told The Indian Express that Gagandeep used to promote underprivileged youths from the village to play kabaddi.

“The accused were targeting Ekam but Gagandeep stood in his favour due to which they shot him dead. Gagandeep is survived by three children. What was their fault? The situation is very bad. Our Punjabi youths have become directionless. Nothing comes out of such hooliganism except bodies. A family has lost its breadwinning son. I have told the SSP that such hooliganism won’t be tolerated anymore,” the MLA said.

On Sunday, some unidentified assailants shot dead AAP leader Jarmal Singh, sarpanch of Valthoa village in Tarn Taran district, while he was attending a wedding in Amritsar. Day before that Congress worker Umarseer Singh was shot dead at Bhinder Kalan village in Moga district.

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann Monday spoke to DGP Gaurav Yadav over the phone, and issued strict instructions for the swift identification and arrest of the culprits involved in the killing of Jarmal Singh.

Reacting to the killing of Gagandeep, Akali Dal leader and Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal held CM Mann “directly responsible”.

BJP state vice president Arvind Khanna said the murder “exposes the collapse of law and order” in Punjab. “When criminals run Punjab and families are terrorised in their own homes, the blame lies squarely on” the AAP government “remote controlled by Arvind Kejriwal”.

State Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring said that the incident highlights “the failed law and order situation of Punjab and that “no one” is safe anymore under AAP misrule”.