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Punjab Police ASI on night patrol shot dead in Amritsar
The incident follows the May murder of ASI Joga Singh near Majitha and the February killings of ASI Gurnam Singh and Home Guard constable Ashok Kumar at a border checkpost at Adhian village in Gurdaspur district
Prefer HTon Google
A 50-year-old Punjab Police assistant sub-inspector (ASI) on night patrol was ambushed and shot dead by two unidentified motorcycle-borne assailants outside the Bhagtanwala grain market here early Friday. ASI Harjit Singh, attached to the Gate Hakima police control room, was fatally shot around 12.32 am near gate number two of the market.
The brazen midnight killing marks the third deadly attack on Punjab Police personnel this year. The incident follows the May murder of ASI Joga Singh near Majitha and the February killings of ASI Gurnam Singh and Home Guard constable Ashok Kumar at a border checkpost at Adhian village in Gurdaspur district.
The two attackers opened fire at point-blank range before fleeing. After suffering bullet injuries, the ASI was rushed to a private hospital, where he was declared dead, said Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav who inspected the crime scene along with Commissioner of Police Harmanbir Singh Gill and IG (Border Range) Gurpreet Singh Bhullar.
Hours before the attack, a civilian identified as Sahilpreet Singh was also fatally shot outside his house in Amritsar’s Islamabad Nagar by two motorcycle-borne gunmen who remain on the run.
Briefing media later, Yadav said, “ASI Harjit Singh was sent to Dana Mandi (grain market) to perform duty at 9.30 pm on Thursday. At 1.05 am, the Police Control Room got an information at 112 about the attack on him, after which he was shifted to a private hospital where he was declared dead”.
“In CCTV footage, movement of two suspected persons on Activa scooter was observed at 12.32 am. A .30 bore shell was recovered from the spot. So, single bullet was fired at the back of the neck of the ASI. More details will surface after the autopsy. We are also getting forensic analysis done. Our team is following CCTV trail to assess backward and forward linkages. Soon, the perpetrators will be traced and exemplary justice will be delivered to them”, he added.
Before arriving at the crime scene, the DGP visited ASI Harjit Singh’s house in Amritsar to express his condolences to the bereaved family. “Punjab Police stands firmly with the family. The sacrifice of ASI Harjit Singh will never be forgotten. The accused will be brought to justice,” the DGP said in a post on X.
Announcing an ex gratia payment of ₹1 crore from the state government along with an additional ₹1 crore insurance payout from HDFC Bank, Yadav confirmed that the officer would receive full police honours. In Amritsar, Yadav chaired a high-level operational preparedness meeting with senior police officials, including the commissioner of police, Amritsar, and the inspector general (IG), border range. He reviewed the ongoing investigations and directed officers to step up vigilance across the region through heightened surveillance, strengthened patrolling, and preventive policing measures.
The Congress and the BJP condemned the killings, saying that the two-back-to back incidents raise serious questions about the law-and-order situation in the state. “The fact that a serving police officer could be targeted and killed while performing his duty is a matter of grave concern,” said state Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring. “How can an ordinary citizen feel safe when police personnel themselves are being targeted,” he asked.
Senior BJP leader and Rajya Sabha member Tarun Chugh criticised the Aam Aadmi Party government, alleging that an “atmosphere of fear” grips the state due to drug mafias, extortion rackets, and gangsterism.
