Gunmen chase bike, kill AAP man in Punjab; police suspect poll rivalry

Gurpreet’s friends following in the car rushed both victims to the hospital, where Gurpreet was declared brought dead

By: Dinesh SharmaFEROZEPUR: An Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) member, Gurpreet Singh alias Gopi, was shot dead and his friend Harpreet Singh alias Happy was injured by armed assailants in a crowded Mamdot village market in Ferozepur around 8pm on Saturday, police said.The assailants chased the victims’ motorcycle in a car, opened fire and shot at a following car carrying nagar panchayat president Rajesh Kumar Maini, who narrowly escaped, according to police.Gurpreet’s friends following in the car rushed both victims to the hospital, where Gurpreet was declared brought dead, while Harpreet was transferred to Ludhiana in stable condition.Gurpreet, who lost his wife one-and-a-half years ago, is survived by two children.

Though holding no official AAP title, he was active in nagar panchayat elections and his sister-in-law serves as ward no. 5 councilor.Ferozepur SSP Bhupinder Singh said preliminary findings point to election-related rivalry. He added the accused have been identified and the prime suspect has a criminal history. Police teams are continuously conducting raids to make arrests.The killing sparked criticism of Punjab’s law and order from senior BJP functionary Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi. Sodhi asserted that the incident reflects the state’s collapsing security, saying leaders who pledged to eliminate crime and drugs at Bhagat Singh’s memorial in Khatkar Kalan have failed. He cited drug proliferation, daily shootings and youth being misled by gangsters as proof of failed governance, urging the govt to reject Delhi-inspired policy models, strictly curb gangster culture and constructively channel youth energy.