Amritsar: Harjit Singh, an assistant sub-inspector of Punjab Police, was shot dead by unidentified motorcycle-borne assailants in Amritsar early on Friday.
The two attackers opened fire at point-blank range before fleeing. The ASI suffered multiple bullet injuries and was rushed to a nearby private hospital, where he succumbed during treatment. The killing triggered panic in the region and comes as the third incident of police personnel being gunned down in Punjab this year, following the murder of ASI Joga Singh near Majithia in May and the double murder of ASI Gurnam Singh and Home Guard constable Ashok Kumar at the Adhian police post in February. Chugh pointed to past security breaches, including rocket and grenade strikes on police infrastructure, and accused terror groups of filming attacks for social media, while the state government remains in denial.
A resident of Tarn Taran district and posted with the police control room under the Gate Hakima police station, ASI Harjit Singh was ambushed around 2am outside gate number 2 of the Bhagtanwala grain market while returning home from patrol duty. The state government announced an ex-gratia payment of ₹ 1 crore for the bereaved family, accompanied by an additional ₹ 1 crore insurance payout from HDFC Bank.
Punjab director general of police Gaurav Yadav said that Harjit Singh laid down his life in the line of duty and will receive full police honours. The incident sparked political controversy as senior BJP leader and Rajya Sabha member Tarun Chugh criticising chief minister Bhagwant Mann’s Aam Aadmi Party government, alleging that an “atmosphere of fear” grips the state due to drug mafias, extortion rackets, and gangsterism.
