RSS worker shot dead in Ferozepur, Oppn says it’s ‘jungle raj’ in Punjab

RSS worker Naveen Arora was shot dead in Ferozepur, sparking political outcry over law and order as police detain four suspects and investigate.

Ferozepur: A 32-year-old Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) worker was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in city’s main bazar area when he was returning home from his dupatta shop on Saturday evening, senior police officers said on Sunday, adding the police have detained four people in connection with the case.

Nine teams have been formed to trace and arrest the culprits.(Image for representationPTI)

Police identified the victim as Naveen Arora. Naveen, whose grandfather, late Dina Nath had also been a senior RSS leader in Ferozepur, was cremated on Sunday, police said.

Ferozepur senior superintendent of police (SSP) Bhupinder Singh Sidhu said that nine teams have been formed to trace and arrest the culprits.“Police have combed through CCTV footage and identified the assailants. Nine teams have been formed to nab the accused. No exact motive behind the murder has been ascertained,” the SSP said.

Investigators said Naveen lived at Sadhu Chand Chowk and was returning home on his motorcycle from his shop in the main bazar area around 7pm, when two unidentified assailants approached him and opened fire. A bullet struck him in the head, causing him to collapse on the road. His family members rushed him to a hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival, they said.

Naveen’s father, Baldev Raj Arora, said Naveen had left the shop minutes earlier. “When we reached the spot, he was lying on the road. We rushed him to the hospital, but he didn’t survive.”

The sensational murder in a busy market has triggered a political row in the state with the Opposition parties slamming the state government over “deteriorating” law and order in the state.

Punjab Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Sunil Jakhar on Sunday alleged that Naveen’s murder has once again exposed the AAP government’s failure to maintain law and order in the state.

In a press statement, Jakhar alleged that gangsters were running a parallel government in the state, while chief minister Bhagwant Mann had failed to fulfil his responsibilities.

Union minister of state Ravneet Singh Bittu also condemned the murder and said that the incident had “shaken the entire state”. “The murder is a stark reminder that criminals had become emboldened and the people were increasingly feeling unsafe,” Bittu said.

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal termed it ‘jungle raj’. “This is jungle raj in Punjab. Peace and communal harmony are in serious danger. No one’s life or property in Punjab is safe today. Criminals roam free, innocents are gunned down in broad daylight,” Badal said.

The ruling AAP called the murder a conspiracy. “The murder of innocent youth is a major conspiracy to disturb law and order in the state. The government is committed to eliminating gangsters from Punjab,” said Ranbir Bhullar, AAP MLA from Ferozepur (Urban).