Political rivalry: Gunshots fired, realtor attacked, suffers splinter injury in Ludhiana

The assailants fired five to six rounds, besides attacking Jagjot Singh, a resident of Miller Ganj, with sharp-edged weapons

A late-night dinner outing turned into a terrifying ordeal for a 36-year-old property dealer when a group of armed men allegedly attacked him and opened fire at his car, with his mother and three-year-old son inside, in the Dholewal area on Wednesday night.

According to the police, the attack stemmed from a rivalry linked to the political associations of the victim and the accused. (HT File)

The assailants fired five to six rounds, besides attacking Jagjot Singh, a resident of Miller Ganj, with sharp-edged weapons. He sustained injuries to his head and leg and a splinter injury near his eye. His mother and young son escaped unhurt.

According to the police, the attack stemmed from a rivalry linked to the political associations of the victim and the accused. The two sides had allegedly clashed earlier as well, with FIRs registered in connection with previous incidents.

Recounting the incident, Jagjot Singh said he had gone to Dholewal with his mother and son for dinner. Around 11.30 pm, while they were eating inside the car, he stepped out to fetch a bottle of water for the child.

He alleged that when he was some distance from the vehicle, at least eight men known to him arrived armed with weapons and fired two shots at him. The bullets missed him, prompting him to run towards his car in an attempt to escape.

“As I tried to flee, the accused caught hold of me and assaulted me with sharp-edged weapons. I suffered injuries to my head and leg. Somehow, I managed to get into the car, but they then fired multiple rounds at the vehicle and vandalised it,” he said.

Singh said his mother and toddler were inside the car during the firing. Although they escaped the bullets, he sustained a splinter injury near his eye. Despite being injured, he drove himself to the Ludhiana civil hospital for treatment.

Singh said he had earlier been associated with a political party and actively participated in election campaigns. He alleged that the accused supported a rival political party and held a grudge against him.

He further claimed that the same group had attacked him at his house about a year ago and opened fire on that occasion as well.

Assistant commissioner of police (Industrial Area-B) Anubhav Jain said the police had identified three main accused — Jaswinder Singh, Dilraj and Khushdeep Singh — in connection with the alleged attack. The trio and their accomplices have been booked, he said.

“The investigation has revealed that Jaswinder and Jagjot were previously connected politically, but a dispute led to a rivalry between them. They had clashed earlier as well, and Jagjot faced two FIRs in connection with those incidents,” Jain said.

He added that police teams had been formed to trace and arrest the accused. The investigation is underway.