Youth Akali Dal leader gunned down in Punjab’s Samrala sub division

Ravinder Singh was taking part in a tree plantation drive at Seh village when four men stepped out of a car and fired at least 10 bullets, killing him on the spot

Ludhiana: Car-borne assailants gunned down Ravinder Singh Sonu, 38, the Samrala rural unit president of the Youth Akali Dal (YAD), at Seh village in Ludhiana district on Tuesday afternoon.

Ravinder Singh Sonu, 38, the Samrala rural unit president of the Youth Akali Dal (YAD), who was shot dead at Seh village in Ludhiana district on Tuesday afternoon. His mother, Ranjit Kaur, is the village sarpanch. His elder brother Gurpreet Singh was killed over political rivalry last year. (HT file photo)

Police said Ravinder Singh was taking part in a tree plantation drive at a gurdwara in the village when four men stepped out of a Maruti Suzuki Swift car and fired at least 10 bullets at him from close range and fled.

Eyewitnesses said that four of the six car occupants calmly walked up to Ravinder and before anybody at the spot could react, they pulled out their weapons and opened fire, killing him on the spot.

The motive of the attack is yet to be ascertained.

Ravinder Singh is the younger son of Seh village sarpanch Ranjit Kaur, who is a Shiromani Akali Dal loyalist.

Ravinder’s elder brother Gurpreet Singh, alias Gura Seh, was hacked to death 17 months ago following a dispute over torn posters of a rival Congress group.

Villagers gathered at the spot and did not allow the police to take the body initially. It was only after senior police officials from Khanna rushed to the village and pacified the residents did they relent.