Punjab: ASI shot dead, 2nd attack on a cop within a week

ASI Harjit Singh (Image Credit: Punjab Police)

AMRITSAR: An Assistant Sub-Inspector of the Punjab Police was shot dead while on motorcycle patrol in Amritsar late on Thursday night, police said.ASI Harjit Singh was patrolling near Bhagtawala Grain Market when unidentified assailants opened fire, according to initial reports.Singh was critically injured in the shooting and was taken to hospital, where he later died while undergoing treatment.Punjab Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav paid tribute to the officer in a post on X.“Our brave police officer, ASI Harjit Singh of district Amritsar, has laid down his life in the line of duty,” Mr Yadav said, adding that the Punjab Police stood firmly with the bereaved family.Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has announced an ex-gratia payment of ₹1 crore for Singh's family.

An additional ₹1 crore insurance payout will be provided to the family by HDFC Bank, officials said.The killing comes amid a series of attacks on police personnel in Punjab.Days earlier, an unidentified group calling itself the “Tehreek-e-Taliban Hindustan” (TTH) claimed responsibility for the shooting of an Assistant Sub-Inspector near Ajnala. The officer survived the attack.The group later threatened to target the officer again, according to reports.

The emergence of the little-known group has prompted questions among intelligence agencies over its origins and whether it is a new militant outfit or an attempt by an existing banned organisation to establish a presence in Punjab.There has been no claim of responsibility for the killing of ASI Harjit Singh so far.Police are investigating the circumstances of the shooting and the identity of those responsible.