Punjab AAP activist Gurpreet Singh Gopi shot dead near Ferozepur; cops suspect old dispute, elections as motive

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) activist Gurpreet Singh Gopi was shot dead after unidentified armed men allegedly chased the bike he was travelling on and opened fire in Mamdot, a rural town around 24 km from Punjab’s Ferozepur, on Saturday night, police said.

Ferozepur senior superintendent of police (SSP) Bhupinder Singh Sidhu said Gopi and his associate Harpreet were travelling on a bike when the attackers, in a car, allegedly chased them and opened fire.

Gopi and Harpreet sustained bullet injuries; doctors declared Gopi dead on arrival at the hospital where they were taken. Harpreet is receiving treatment.

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The SSP said an old dispute between the two parties appears to be behind the attack. However, an election-related dispute has also emerged as a key angle in the investigation, he added.

Police officers said a few friends of Gopi and Harpreet, including Vicky Maini, president of Mamdot’s Nagar Panchayat, were following them in another car. The attackers allegedly opened fire at that vehicle as well, but all the riders narrowly escaped.

Gopi’s sister-in-law won the Nagar Panchayat poll from local ward number 5 recently.

“Both parties had an old dispute. The attackers have been identified and multiple police teams have been formed. We will arrest them as soon as possible,” SSP Sidhu said.

The SSP added that the main accused (identity not disclosed) has a criminal background.

Police teams are conducting raids at several locations to trace the accused. Investigators are also examining the circumstances surrounding the firing and piecing together the sequence of events leading to the killing.