New Delhi: Shiv Sena leader Sudhir Suri was shot dead Friday in Amritsar while leading a protest outside a temple after broken idols were found in the trash nearby.
Amritsar Commissioner of Police Arun Pal Singh said Suri was injured when a man opened fire at him during the sit-in agitation. He was rushed to the hospital where he breathed his last, Singh said.
Punjab | Sudhir Suri was shot outside Gopal Mandir, Amritsar during some agitation. He sustained bullet injuries & was rushed to hospital and died. Accused arrest, his weapons recovered: Amritsar CP on Shiv Sena leader Sudhir Suri being shot at in Amritsar https://t.co/7ceG1C9QKo pic.twitter.com/qLB4nG0ld9
— ANI (@ANI) November 4, 2022
The police have arrested the accused and recovered the assault weapon from him.
The attacker, Sandeep Singh, had arrived at the agitation site outside Gopal Mandir with three others in an SUV, sources said, adding the accomplices managed to escape.
Barely an hour before he sat on the dharna, the Hindu right-wing leader had apparently gone live on Facebook, displaying how idols were “shamelessly dumped in the garbage”.
Videos on social media show a fellow protester arguing with a set of people seconds before shots rang out.
As he lay bleeding, his colleague fired in the air, before the injured Suri was bundled into a car and taken to hospital.
Suri was known for floating fiery speeches on social media, particularly against radical Sikh outfits.
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