Nihang shot by rivals in Barnala, 6 booked

Tribune News Service

Barnala, August 22

The deputy chief of the Budha Dal of Baba Surjit Singh faction was shot dead at Kahneke village in the district last night. The police have registered a case against six nihangs of another faction. No one has been arrested as yet.

Complainant Lal Singh alleged that he along with other nihangs was sleeping at the community centre of the village when they heard the sound of gunshots being fired around midnight. When they woke up, they saw Bahadur Singh (60) lying in a pool of blood and around 10 persons, including Jaspal Singh, Sukhwinder Singh, Jagraj Singh, Baldev Singh, Arjan Dev Singh and Sarwan Singh, fleeing in a Bolero, he alleged.

“We have registered a case against the six identified accused. The complainant has claimed that the accused belong to Balvir Singh faction. The deceased had got a case registered against the accused in 2012. They had earlier attacked him in Talwandi Sabo. A Bathinda court was to record the statement of the deceased today,” said Malkiat Singh Cheema, SHO, Rureke Kalan police station.

“The Surjit and Balvir factions of nihags have been at loggerheads over the possession of various properties. We are conducting raids to arrest the accused,” said the SHO.