Attack on AAP leader: Assailant not identified

AMRITSAR : Police were yet to identify the man who shot at the former chief of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)’s Amritsar city unit 24 hours after the attack in a busy Amritsar market.

Suresh Sharma, a member of the political affairs committee of the Sukhpal Singh Khaira faction of AAP and an RTI activist, suffered three bullet injuries on his right leg when the assailant opened fire at him at Partap Bazaar in the Chheharta area of the city on Tuesday evening.

He had resigned as AAP’s city president when Khaira was replaced as leader of opposition by Harpal Singh Cheema.

ACP-west Vishaljit Singh said, “In our preliminary probe, we have found that there were two assailants. They had come on a white scooter. The one who opened fire at Sharma entered the market on foot while his aide waited for him. The two were caught in footage of CCTV cameras but we are yet to ascertain their identity as they had their faces covered.”

On Wednesday morning, Partap Bazaar traders staged a dharna by shutting their shops. They were joined by hundreds of workers of AAP’s Khaira faction. The protesters raised slogans against the Amritsar police.

The dharna was lifted in the afternoon after they got assurance from senior police officers.

Bholath MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira, who was suspended from AAP, along with other MLAs of his faction visited the hospital where Sharma is being treated.

Khaira said, “Doctors told me that Sharma’s condition is serious. The incident shows incompetence of police.”

TRADERS PROTEST AGAINST POLICE BY SHUTTING THEIR SHOPS IN AMRITSAR’S PARTAP BAZAAR LOCALITY