Old rivalry behind gangster Kulbir Naruana’s murder

Sukhmeet Bhasin
Tribune News Service
Bathinda, July 7

Gangster-turned-social worker Kulbir Naruana’s political aspirations helped him get sober, but his rivalry with other groups in the criminal world didn’t allow him to stay away.

He was currently involved in conducting mass marriages of poor girls and holding blood donation camps in his village.

• Read also: Bathinda gangster, cousin shot dead by former guard 

In 2019, the Bathinda Sadar police had registered a case against seven persons, including Naruana, for allegedly blackening the face of a person on suspicion of selling drugs.

Later, they uploaded his video on social media.

Feared attack

• Gangster-turned-social worker Kulbir Naruana had started his political innings in 2014 by joining the Shiromani Akali Dal when former MLA from Talwandi Sabo Jeetmohinder Singh Sidhu left the Congress and joined the SAD
• Naruana reportedly used to fear that a rival gang was planning to kill him inside the jail. So he contacted his cousin Antarpreet to secure a weapon

Naruana had started his political innings in 2014 by joining the Shiromani Akali Dal when former MLA from Talwandi Sabo Jeetmohinder Singh Sidhu joined SAD after leaving the Congress. Then Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia had even honoured him with a ‘siropa’ during a public meeting and his photos had gone viral on the social media.

Naruana was also seen on stage during a rally of Lakha Sidhana, accused in the Red Fort violence case, at Mehraj village in March this year.

Booked in 15 criminal cases, including attempt to murder, Naruana was acquitted in one. In 2015, he, along with his gang members, had opened fire at a police constable at the Cantonment police station in Bathinda.

Accused of freeing Gurwinder Bindu from the police custody by attacking the police personnel inside the Civil Hospital, he had also been arrested for possessing a pistol without licence.

During his stay at the Central Jail in 2015, Naruana remained in controversy after uploading a photo on Facebook from inside the jail using a smartphone. He was also part of the gang war inside the jail premises with the members of the Gurpreet Sekhon group.

Naruana reportedly used to fear that a rival gang was planning to kill him inside the jail. So he contacted his cousin Antarpreet to secure a weapon, which he used to fire at Gurdeep.

On the night of June 21, unidentified persons had opened fire at Naruana on a ring road in the city, but he survived as his car was bulletproof. However, later, Bhalla Sekhu and one other person took responsibility for the attack.

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