Chandigarh, Feb 22 (PTI) Two Punjab Police personnel were found shot dead at a police checkpost in Gurdaspur district near the Indo-Pak border on Sunday.
According to police, the deceased were identified as assistant sub inspector Gurnam Singh and home guard Ashok Kumar, who were posted in Adhian about 2 km from the border.
The bodies were found inside the checkpost room, the Station House Officer (SHO) of Dorangla police station in Gurdaspur, Banarsi Dass, said over the phone, adding the matter is being investigated.
“My younger brother, who visited the spot, said that our father (Gurnam) was in a sitting position on a chair while another police official was lying on a bench. Both had sustained bullet injury to their heads,” Gurnam Singh’s son Sandeep Singh told reporters.
Posters purportedly from an outfit calling itself Tehreek-e-Taliban Hindustan (TTH) were circulating on social media, claiming responsibility for the killing of the two cops. The police, however, declined to comment on them.
Replying to a question, the SHO said that the ammunition provided to the cops was intact.
Such police posts, maintained by the Punjab Police in close coordination with the Border Security Force, act as the second line of defence, he added.
“I was there at the post till 11.30 pm. In the morning, when they did not pick up the phone till 7:30, we reached there,” the SHO said, adding that CCTV camera footage of the area is being checked.
Meanwhile, CCTV footage emerged in which unidentified men on two motorcycles could be seen near the police checkpost. The footage was stated to be of around 1:30 am.
While the ASI’s body was later found lying on a chair with both his hands in his pockets, the other cop was on a cot in a sleeping position.
Notably, the area near village of Adhian is prone to smuggling of heroin and weapons through drones from across the border.
The Border Security Force and the Punjab Police maintain strict vigilance in this area to check smuggling of narcotics, arms and ammunition through drones.
Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring demanded a thorough probe into the killings which, he said, reminded him of a similar incident before the 2016 Pathankot terror attack, when a Superintendent of Police had been abducted and his vehicle was snatched. This was followed by an immediate terror attack on the Pathankot airbase, he pointed out.
Gurdaspur SSP Aditya said, “In the morning, we received information that two of our personnel had sustained gunshot injuries.” The police had cordoned off the crime scene, with both technical and forensic teams present there, the SSP told reporters at the incident site.
Kamaljeet Singh, Sarpanch, Adhian, said he received a phone call from the SHO that the cops were not picking up their phone. He said he reached the spot at around 8:15 am, after which he alerted the police.
Ashok Kumar’s son, Sandeep Kumar, told reporters that at around 9:30 am, they received information about the incident.
“We have come across some allegations that the two (cops) could have killed each other, which is not correct,” he said.
Meanwhile, Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, in a post on X, urged both state and central governments to investigate the incident.
In a statement, Warring called for avoiding rushing to any conclusion over mere speculation without a thorough probe.
He noted that the incident had taken place close to the border and demanded a thorough probe.
Warring pointed out that drugs are already being pushed into this part of the country from across the border through drones.
“If the drones can carry drugs, they can also carry the weapons”, he said, adding there is genuine and justified concern among the people after these killings.
Senior Congress leader and Gurdaspur MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa expressed serious concern “over the official version of events” regarding the killing of two police personnel in the district.
Randhawa demanded an independent investigation by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to ensure the truth is uncovered.
He emphasised that accountability must be fixed at all levels and that the matter should not be handled lightly or influenced by political motives.
The Gurdaspur MP, in a statement, claimed that according to the visual evidence, both cops were either sitting or asleep at the time of the incident.
Most concerning, he noted, is the claim that a rifle was found placed behind the bed, making it physically impossible for it to have been used in the firing, as some theories claimed they could have killed each other He appealed to the central government, specifically the Ministry of Home Affairs, to immediately take over the case to ensure an independent, impartial and time-bound probe.
He said that the families of the deceased police personnel deserve justice, and the people of Punjab deserve transparency.
“Any attempt to suppress facts or shield those responsible would severely damage public trust in the administration,” Randhawa said. PTI SUN VSD RT RT
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