At least five people were injured, four of them critically, after Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Congress workers clashed during AAP’s victory celebrations for the block samiti and zila parishad elections in Bachittar Nagar of Gill area, Ludhiana, on Wednesday.
According to AAP leaders, Congress workers opened fire on party supporters who were taking out a victory procession to thank voters after winning both seats from Bachittar Nagar. Videos purportedly showing a man firing shots and others pelting stones have surfaced.
Following the incident, AAP workers staged a protest and blocked traffic on the Ludhiana-Malerkotla Road, demanding the arrest of the accused. The protest was later lifted after police intervention.
The injured were identified as Gurmukh Singh, 65, Ravinder Singh, 44, Gurdeep Singh, 32, Udhamvir Singh, 25, and Mandeep Singh, 36. All were rushed to hospital where doctors said their condition was stable, though four had sustained serious gunshot injuries, mostly to their legs.
AAP leader Jatinderpal Singh Gabria said party candidates Sonu Gill and Sumit Singh Khanna had emerged victorious, following which workers organised a victory march. He alleged that Congress leader and former sarpanch Jasbir Singh, along with his supporters, confronted them and resorted to indiscriminate firing.
AAP worker Narinder Singh claimed that volunteers were going door-to-door thanking residents when they were allegedly abused by the Congress candidate. The confrontation soon spiralled into stone-pelting, followed by gunfire. He alleged that the accused regrouped at a woman’s house in the locality and opened fire, adding that one person was armed with a pistol while others carried sticks.
{{/usCountry}}AAP worker Narinder Singh claimed that volunteers were going door-to-door thanking residents when they were allegedly abused by the Congress candidate. The confrontation soon spiralled into stone-pelting, followed by gunfire. He alleged that the accused regrouped at a woman’s house in the locality and opened fire, adding that one person was armed with a pistol while others carried sticks.
{{/usCountry}}Injured AAP supporter Gurmukh Singh alleged that the attack was driven by the Congress leader’s inability to accept defeat. “Unable to digest the election loss, they fired recklessly,” he said.
Assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Kapil Kumar, in-charge at Marado police post stated that soon after receiving the information the police reached the spot. He added that the police are recording the statements of the victims to lodge an FIR. A hunt is on for the arrest of the accused involved in the violence.