60-year-old BJP leader beaten to death; party blames AAP for deteriorating law and order

Police said that a group of miscreants were ‘creating hooliganism’ outside the residence of Sharma (60) during Janmashtami festivities and when he tried to stop them, they attacked him with sharp edged weapons. When Sharma’s son Raj Kumar Sharma tried to intervene, they injured him too.

Ludhiana BJP district president Pushpinder Singal said that the men allegedly pushed Sharma making him fall on the ground, and then punched him multiple times. “He was later taken to a local hospital where the doctors declared him brought dead. He was still taken to DMCH, but had died already,” said Singal.

“The incident happened near Tutiyan Wala Mandir when a group of men were creating ruckus outside Sharma’s house. They were drug addicts and probably had consumed drugs at the time of the incident as well,” he said.

The BJP leader then went on to train his guns at the ruling AAP government in the state and claimed that law and order in Punjab had deteriorated under the new regime, with murders and robberies having become a routine affair. “We will not cremate the body till the arrest of all the accused.A group of hooligans openly thrashed an elderly man and killed him. Is this how the AAP is managing law and order in the state?” he questioned.

According to Raj Kumar Sharma, the son of the victim, the accused were consuming drugs and creating a ruckus in front of their house. His father tried protesting against the same and asked them to leave. Instead of leaving, the accused attacked his father following which he fell unconscious. Raj Kumar further said that he intervened but the accused assaulted him as well with a sharp-edged weapon, before fleeing from the spot.

An FIR under sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapons) and 149 (unlawful assembly) of IPC was registered against unidentified persons at division number 4 police station.

As per details, Sharma had unsuccessfully contested the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation election on a BJP ticket. He was also the BJP’s circle in-charge for Shivpuri area.

Sub-Inspector Gurjeet Singh, SHO of division number 4 police station, said that the police have retrieved CCTV footage in which the accused have been captured and are trying to identify them. He also added that before thrashing
the BJP leader, the accused had visited Tutian Wala Mandir where Janmashtami celebrations were being held. After coming out from the temple, they started creating hooliganism outside the BJP leader’s home.