Chandigarh, Oct 26 (PTI) Two persons were killed while three others sustained injuries when some unidentified persons opened fire at them in Punjab’s Moga district, police said on Monday.
The unidentified assailants came in a black SUV around 7 pm on Sunday and fired multiple shots at the victims, with police suspecting that it could be a case of old enmity between the two sides.
Police have arrested five people based on the complaint by the victims’ families, but the attackers are yet to be caught.
Speaking to reporters in Patiala, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said people involved in the firing will be given exemplary punishment.
Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav on Monday inspected the crime scene. Speaking to reporters in Moga, Yadav said Sahil Jindal was sitting with 4-5 friends when some unidentified persons came in a car and opened fire at them.
Five of them sustained bullet injuries, and of them, Sahil Jindal and Gagandeep Singh succumbed to their injuries, the DGP said. Police recovered six cartridges of .30 bore and 9 mm, he said.
Police registered an FIR under relevant sections, including 103 (murder) and 109 (attempt to murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Arms Act at Police Station City South Moga.
On the complaint of the family, five individuals have been arrested –Punit Gaba, Kiranpal Singh, Tejinder Singh, Baljit Kaur and Jeevan. “We are conducting an investigation in a scientific and professional manner,” he said.
The DGP said police are examining the CCTV, and that the assailants and those who supported them in the crime will be nabbed. Exemplary action will be taken in the matter, he said.
On the motive, the DGP said preliminary investigation suggested an old enmity but “all angles” are being explored.
Opposition parties alleged law and order has “completely collapsed” under the AAP government in the state.
Punjab BJP chief Kewal Singh Dhillon said the Moga firing incident, which left two dead, is not just an isolated incident but proof of the “complete failure” of the Punjab government.
“The situation in Punjab today is such that people have begun to fear even stepping out of their homes. Mothers are anxious about sending their children outside, traders are apprehensive about opening their shops, and ordinary Punjabis feel unsafe in their own state,” alleged Dhillon.
“On the other hand, gangsters are emboldened and their morale is at an all-time high. They fear neither the law, nor the police, nor the government. An atmosphere of fear and terror has gripped the entire state,” he said.
Chief Minister Mann has proved to be “a failure on every front”, he said. “Law and order in Punjab has completely collapsed.”
Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa too slammed the AAP government over the incident. “Punjab has a non-functioning CM and Home Minister. Under the Bhagwant Mann regime, Punjabis and their families are losing their loved ones to crime,” Bajwa said in a post on X.
SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia said, “Bullets are being fired across Punjab every day, families are being shattered, and mothers are losing their sons, while you enjoy air travel. Step out of your aircraft and see how Punjab is suffering. PTI CHS SKY
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