Charges framed against 12 for murder of Faridkot activist

A court in Faridkot charged 12 individuals in the 2024 murder of Sikh activist Gurpreet Singh, linked to jailed MP Amritpal Singh.

A sessions court in Faridkot on Tuesday framed charges against 12 persons in connection with the murder of Sikh activist Gurpreet Singh Hari Nau in October 2024. Though 17 people have been accused of the murder, five names, including that of jailed Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh, are not in the chargesheet as they are yet to be arrested in this case.

Different modules were used for conducting the recce and executing the murder. (HT Photo for representation)

The additional district and sessions judge will hear the case on February 3 to record the prosecution’s evidence in the crime. The court has yet to release a copy of Tuesday’s proceedings. A special investigation team (SIT) had submitted a voluminous chargesheet before the court in March last year.

Gurpreet was shot dead in Kotkapura on October 9, 2024, while he was returning home from the village gurdwara on his motorcycle. As per the police, Gurpreet was allegedly murdered at the behest of MP Amritpal Singh, who is lodged in Dibrugarh Jail of Assam under the stringent National Security Act (NSA).

According to the police investigation, among the five accused yet to be arrested are Canada-based “terrorist” Arshdeep Singh alias Arsh Dalla, Karamvir Singh (Canada), Gurjant Singh (Australia) and Jatinder Singh (England).

Except for the Khadoor Sahib MP, the police had invoked various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including murder, criminal conspiracy, organised crime, Arms Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), against the accused.

The 12 against who the charges have been framed are Bilal Ahmed Fauji, Guramardeep Singh, Arshdeep Singh Jhandu, Navjot Singh, Balvir Singh, Anmolpreet Singh, Lachman Singh, Gagandeep Singh, Shimla Singh, Gagandeep Singh Sood, Sanjiv Kumar and Amandeep Singh.

Different modules were used for conducting the recce and executing the murder. Director general of police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav had stated in October 2024 that Gurpreet was a close associate of Waris Punjab De founder Deep Sidhu, and he had joined hands with Amritpal after he took over as its chief.

Police officials said that later Gurpreet parted ways and began criticising Amritpal on social media, which allegedly led to the former’s murder.