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Punjab Police ASI returning from patrol duty shot dead in Amritsar
Two motorcycle-borne assailants gun down ASI Harjit Singh outside Bhagtanwala grain market hours after civilian shot dead in front of his house in Amritsar’s Islamabad Nagar; efforts on to track accused.
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Amritsar: Harjit Singh, an assistant sub-inspector of Punjab Police, was shot dead by unidentified motorcycle-borne assailants in Amritsar early on Friday.
A resident of Tarn Taran district and posted with the police control room under the Gate Hakima police station, ASI Harjit Singh was ambushed around 2am outside gate number 2 of the Bhagtanwala grain market while returning home from patrol duty. The two attackers opened fire at point-blank range before fleeing. The ASI suffered multiple bullet injuries and was rushed to a nearby private hospital, where he succumbed during treatment.
DGP visits family, reviews security infrastructure
Punjab director general of police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav visited ASI Harjit Singh’s house in Amritsar to pay tribute and express his condolences to the bereaved family.
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 a post on X, the DGP wrote:“Today, I visited Amritsar, paid respects at the residence of ASI Harjit Singh and stood with his bereaved family in their hour of grief. Conveyed my deepest condolences and assured them of @PunjabPoliceInd’s unwavering support. His courage, dedication and supreme sacrifice in the line of duty will always be remembered with pride and honour.”
On the investigation, he added in another post:“#PunjabPolice stands firmly with the family of our martyr. The sacrifice of ASI Harjit Singh will never be forgotten. The accused will be brought to justice. #ForceIsFamily.”
While 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.
Forensic teams and investigators are currently scanning CCTV footage to establish the motive and trace the perpetrators.
The killing triggered panic in the region and comes as the third incident of police personnel being gunned down in Punjab this year, following the murder of ASI Joga Singh near Majithia in May and the double murder of ASI Gurnam Singh and Home Guard constable Ashok Kumar at the Adhian police post in February.
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 at large.
The incident sparked political controversy as senior BJP leader and Rajya Sabha member Tarun Chugh criticising chief minister Bhagwant Mann’s Aam Aadmi Party government, alleging that an “atmosphere of fear” grips the state due to drug mafias, extortion rackets, and gangsterism. Chugh pointed to past security breaches, including rocket and grenade strikes on police infrastructure, and accused terror groups of filming attacks for social media, while the state government remains in denial.
