CHANDIGARH: A former 55-year-old sarpanch was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Ludhiana after the attackers fired around 10 rounds at his car before fleeing the spot.
The latest killing also comes against the backdrop of a series of attacks on local politicians in the state, mainly sarpanches, raising questions over the AAP-led Punjab Government’s anti-gangster drive, “Gangsteran Te Vaar”.
Sources said the victim was identified as 55-year-old Navtej Singh alias Neetu, former sarpanch of Manewal village. He was shot dead on South City Road in the Ladhowal area of Ludhiana.
The incident took place when he was returning home to Krishna Nagar from his village in his Toyota Innova. Two motorcycle-borne assailants, who were apparently waiting for him, intercepted his vehicle near the bridge on South City Road along the Ladoval bypass. They opened fire at the car before escaping. The incident was also caught on the dashcam of his Innova.
The firing triggered panic in the area, following which police teams reached the spot and started investigating the incident. Empty bullet shells were also recovered from the crime scene.
Assistant Commissioner of Police (West) Jatinderpal Singh said that a case had been registered against eight persons, including two identified accused and six unidentified persons, on the basis of a complaint lodged by the victim’s son, Alamjit Singh.
“The police were scanning CCTV footage from the area to identify the remaining suspects and establish the sequence of events,” he said, adding that a land dispute involving Neetu and his partner in Mannewal village had surfaced during the preliminary investigation.
Alamjit Singh, who is an advocate, claimed that the accused had threatened him and his father “many times” and added that his father was “murdered” in a “planned manner”.
“The motive behind this murder is that we have a land dispute with them, and cases are currently pending in the court,” he said.
The police are investigating the land dispute angle and other possible reasons behind the murder. Further investigation is under way.
The latest killing also comes against the backdrop of a series of attacks on local politicians in Punjab, mainly sarpanches. The killing comes just days after Navdeep Singh, husband of a Shiromani Akali Dal sarpanch, was shot dead in Gaggo Buha village of Tarn Taran district. The police suspect personal enmity in that case and booked several people, who were reported to be absconding.
In February this year, Harbinder Singh Sandhu, a sarpanch of the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) from Thathian Mehta village in Tarn Taran district, was shot dead by three unidentified assailants during a wedding function as they opened fire at close range. The incident drew attention to gang rivalries and violence targeting local leaders.
In January, Jarnail Singh, an AAP sarpanch of Valthoa village in Tarn Taran, was shot dead at a wedding hall in Amritsar. Singh had come to attend a relative’s wedding when he was shot in the head by unidentified men. He died during treatment at the hospital.
Video footage retrieved from the wedding hall showed two attackers coming from behind and shooting him in the back of the head. The firing caused chaos at the ceremony, with guests scrambling for safety.
Earlier, AAP leader Lucky Oberoi was shot dead by an assailant outside a gurdwara in Jalandhar’s Model Town area, shortly after he stepped out of the shrine.
In a similar incident on November 30, 2025, two guests were killed in a shooting at a wedding function on Pakhowal Road in Ludhiana. The violence erupted due to a rivalry between gangster Shubham Arora, also known as Shubham Mota, and his rival Ankur.
The gun battle took place at a wedding hosted by contractor Varinder Kapoor. Over 30 rounds were fired, resulting in the deaths of Vasu Chopra and Kapoor’s aunt, Neeru Chhabra of Jalandhar.