Two men were allegedly beaten up and then shot dead over an old rivalry in Pakhoopur village in Punjab’s Tarn Taran district.
On Tuesday, a village head, said to be associated with ruling AAP, was shot dead in Tarn Taran by unidentified men. The men have been identified as Palwinder Singh and his friend Balwinder Singh, both residents of Khara village. The families claim that some people from Pakhoopur village called them to a house on the pretext of meeting them, where they were allegedly brutally assaulted before being shot dead. Opposition parties have targeted the AAP government over alleged deteriorating law and order situation in the state.
The incident comes close on the heels of the murder of a 55-year-old former sarpanch of Mannewal village in Ludhiana who was shot dead by two unidentified bike-borne assailants near the village on Saturday evening.
The two men had left home saying they were going to attend the Jod Mela at Baba Budha Sahib, according to the families. Goindwal Sahib DSP Harinder Singh said that police teams were working to identify and arrest the accused at the earliest. Tarn Taran Senior Superintendent of Police Surinder Lamba said three bike-borne assailants allegedly fired multiple shots at Toot village sarpanch Ashwani Devgan.
The police have launched an investigation into the case. The families of both victims have demanded strict action against those responsible for the killings.
