NRI shot in front of family at home in Punjab, assailants flee after pistol jams

The incident sparked a political row with Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal slamming the AAP government for the "deteriorating law and order situation in the state".
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Updated on
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CHANDIGARH: A non-resident Indian (NRI) who returned from the US a month ago was shot at his house in Daburji village of Amritsar district on Saturday in front of his family members. After inflicting two bullet injuries, the assailants fled when their pistol jammed.

Sources said Sukhchain Singh was shot by two armed assailants in the lobby area inside his own house. The entire incident was captured on a CCTV camera installed at the house. Two turbaned armed men can be seen entering Singh's house and shooting at him. As the shots were fired at Singh, his mother, second wife and two children can be seen crying and pleading for mercy from the assailants. The CCTV footage is doing the rounds on social media.

The attackers shot Singh in the head and the neck. Family members told the police that around five months ago Singh got a threat after a dispute with the family of his first wife who had allegedly committed suicide. Singh’s mother and second wife claimed that the family of Singh's first wife was behind the attack.

Singh had recently bought a luxury car worth Rs 1.5 crore and the attackers entered Singh's home on the pretext of enquiring about his car's registration certificate and then started firing at him.

As per police, Singh suffered two bullet injuries and was rushed to a private hospital and is undergoing treatment. He is presently stable and has suffered injuries to his face and hands.

Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Harpal Singh said their teams were working on different theories. "We have have obtained CCTV footage of the incident and further investigation is underway," he added.

A case of attempt to murder has been registered against five people by the state police, all of them reportedly family members of his first wife but no arrests have been made so far.

The incident sparked a political row with Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal slamming the AAP government for the "deteriorating law and order situation in the state". He condemned the incident and demanded the Punjab CM's resignation over the issue. "Such incidents are happening every day in your state, Punjabis are not safe even in their homes, I think you should resign on moral grounds...," Badal said in a post on X.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) hit out at the opposition accusing them of politicising a family dispute and deliberately linking the incident to the state's law and order situation.

AAP Punjab senior spokesperson Neel Garg said that the family of the NRI has said that the attack was carried out by his ex-wife's family, making it a personal matter rather than a political one.

Garg said that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has directed the DGP to take strict action against the culprits, ensuring no one is spared. Garg also criticized the Akali Dal, recalling that during the Badal government, an ASI was martyred in Amritsar while protecting his daughter's honour. He alleged that the molesters were affiliated with the Akali Dal.

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