Gurdaspur SAD leader shot dead, allegedly by retired Colonel

Ravi Dhaliwal

Tribune News Service 

Gurdaspur, March 14

Tension gripped the city on Tuesday after SAD (Gurdaspur unit) vice-president and senior leader Gurbachan Singh Khalsa (79) was shot dead allegedly by a former Army officer.

Col Surjit Singh Pherochichi (Retd) allegedly shot dead Khalsa on Monday evening at his native village Pherochichi falling in Bhaini Mian Khan police station of Gurdaspur.

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Col Surjit Singh’s son Sumeet Singh, a practicing advocate, allegedly battered Khalsa with a hockey stick before his father pulled out a .9mm pistol to shoot the deceased in the neck.

The colonel’s daughter is a serving judge in Punjab. Both father and son are absconding.  

The cops went into an overdrive and sealed the village which falls in the Qadian Assembly segment once news of the incident spread.  

SSP Jasdeep Singh said an accomplice of the accused, Sajjan Singh, who was present at the time of the murder, had been rounded up while a hunt has been launched to nab the main accused.

Khalsa was lodged in various jails with former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal in the late seventies.

The SSP said Khalsa was bringing fodder from his fields and while he was in front of Pherochich’s house, Sumeet Singh, who was standing outside, entered into an altercation with him.

Minutes later, Col Surjit Singh arrived and pumped bullets in Khalsa’s neck.

For the last several days Surjit Singh had been using a loud speaker from the roof of his house to campaign against SAD leaders.

He is allegedly close to a powerful Congress leader of the area and he openly used to threaten people using the politician’s name.

Khalsa had complained to the police but the cops failed take any action.

“Col Surjit Singh had been insulting Akali leaders following which we had lodged complaints with the police. He would unabashedly insult the Sekhwan family and other leaders using the loud speaker after getting drunk. On many occasions he even used the village gurdwara public address system to heap insults. He had become a threat to society at large,” said a villager.

Khalsa, after being shot, was taken to the Gurdaspur civil hospital where he was declared brought dead.

His death sparked off protests from SAD and AAP leaders following which the cops had a tough time in controlling the situation.  

At the time of filing this report Khalsa’s family members were making preparation for his last rites.