24 hrs on, cops yet to identify accused
AMRITSAR: It has been 24 hours since Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) SC morcha state general secretary Balwinder Singh Gill was shot at by unknown assailants at his home in Jandiala Guru town, but the police are yet to ascertain the identity of the accused or motive behind the crime. The incident took place around 9 pm on Sunday when two unidentified men, with their faces covered, arrived outside Gill’s house on a motorbike and asked his daughter to call him. No sooner had Gill stepped out, than the assailants started firing at him.
According to the senior superintendent of police (SSP-rural), Amritsar, Satinder Singh, “one of the bullets pierced Gill’s jaw”. The assault on Gill came hours after he had returned from campaigning in favour of a BJP candidate Inder Iqbal Singh Atwal, ahead of the Jalandhar Lok Sabha byelection. “We were campaigning in Jalandhar on Sunday,” said former MLA and senior BJP leader Manjit Singh Manna, adding, “Gill had no personal enmity with anyone. It seems it was an attempt to spread fear among the BJP leaders who are campaigning in Jalandhar.”
Soon after the incident, Gill reached a hospital in Jandiala on his motorcycle, from where he was shifted to a private hospital in Amritsar. Punjab cabinet minister Harbhajan Singh visited the hospital to inquire about Gill’s health. “It was an attempt on Gill’s life. He is very courageous as he reached the hospital on his own after the incident,” the minister said.
“The doctors are saying that he is out of danger. I have asked the SSP to investigate the matter. Police teams are working, and CCTV footage from the area is being examined. The accused would be soon behind the bars,” the minister added.
SSP Satinder Singh said, “We are working to ascertain the identity of the accused. The accused were caught in CCTV cameras, but their identity couldn’t be ascertained as they had covered their faces.”
When asked about the motive behind the crime, he said, “Our investigation is still on, and nothing can be said at this moment. However, we are hopeful of tracing the accused soon.”
Meanwhile, BJP leaders condemned the incident and blamed the “deteriorated law and order” condition in the state.
BJP state president Ashwani Sharma and other senior leaders visited the hospital to inquire about Gill’s health. Former MLA and senior BJP leader Raj Kumar Verka said, “The state government has failed to control the law and order situation.”