Chandigarh: A 40-year-old Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) sarpanch was shot dead while his relative was injured after unidentified assailants opened fire at a wedding function in Punjab’s Tarn Taran district on Wednesday afternoon.
Harbrinder Singh, the sarpanch of Thathian Mahantan village, was attending a wedding in nearby Sheron village when the attack took place around 3.15 pm. The two villages are located about six kilometres apart.
According to preliminary information, three motorcycle-borne attackers arrived at the venue and opened fire. Harbrinder Singh died on the spot, while his relative, Jarmandeep Singh, sustained injuries. He has been shifted to hospital for treatment.
The incident has triggered panic among local residents and grassroots AAP leaders, as it is the second such killing in two months. On January 5, AAP sarpanch Jarmal Singh of Valtoha Sandhuan village in Tarn Taran was shot dead during a wedding function in Amritsar.
Harbrinder Singh is survived by two sons, both under the age of 10. He was an arhtiya (commission agent) and also owned agricultural land. He had gone to attend the wedding of his relative, Gursewak Singh, when the assailants struck.
Police have launched an investigation and are working to identify and arrest the accused.
