Happowal sarpanch shot at, critical

Sarpanch of Happowal village in Banga was shot at by unidentified bike-borne youths this afternoon while he was working in the fields.

Having a good built, Sarpanch Gurinder Singh (32) (more popularly called Pahalwan owing to his passion for wrestling) was preparing his fields for sowing potatoes when two motorcylists went near him in his fields on the Banga-Katarian road and fired three shots. There were labourers too helping him in the fields who said the bikers missed two shots and the third one hit Gurinder in his abdomen.

Since the sarpanch too was carrying his licensed weapon, he too fired back several retaliatory shots but the assailants escaped. After they fled, he fell in his fields. The labourers, with the help of some passersby, rushed Gurinder Singh to Guru Nanak Mission Hospital at Dhahaan village. After receiving initial treatment, he was referred to a private hospital in Ludhiana. His condition is stated to be critical.

The police arrived at the scene to investigate the incident. Deputy Superintendent of Police Harjit Singh Randhawa said investigation was underway and the identity of the accused was being established with the help of witnesses.

Sources in the police said the sarpanch had earlier remained sympathiser of a group of gangsters which was averse to infamous gangster Karanjit Singh, alias Jassa Happowal. He was already getting some threats and the police had issued him a revolver for self-defence. The police are exploring all angles and also the fact that he is a divorcee.

Randhawa said various technical details, including CCTV trails, were being gathered to identify the accused. He said the teams had been deployed to collect all clues.