AAP leader Daljit Raju's Phagwara residence targeted in shooting incident, extortion angle suspected

Tension gripped Darvesh village near Phagwara after two unidentified masked assailants opened fire at the residence of AAP leader and Yudh Nasheya Virudh Phagwara Coordinator, Daljit Raju, shortly after 1:13 AM on the intervening night of November 26–27. The attackers fired an estimated 23–24 rounds.

According to Raju, he, his wife and their daughter were asleep on the first floor when the firing took place. Although the family escaped unhurt, the gunfire jolted them awake. Raju reported seeing two masked men outside, armed with pistols or revolvers, shooting at his house from close range before fleeing under the cover of darkness.

A CCTV footage retrieved from the premises shows the assailants arriving on a motorcycle with covered faces. They parked the vehicle near the village’s main gate and approached the house on foot. One of them was captured on camera throwing a four-page note inside the compound. The papers carried a threatening message demanding Rs 5 crore, purportedly from the Kala Rana Group, indicating a possible extortion attempt.

Raju told the police he had no personal enmity and suspected the attack was carried out by criminal elements seeking to intimidate him. Empty cartridges were recovered from the scene.

Police were alerted immediately, and two SHOs reached the site within minutes. By early morning, Phagwara SP Madhvi Sharma and DSP Bharat Bhushan had inspected the residence and met the shaken family. Subsequently, senior leaders including MP Dr. Raj Kumar Chabbewal and Halka Incharge Harnoor Singh Maan also visited the spot to express solidarity.

An FIR  has been registered at PS Satnampura under Sections 125, 308(5), 61(2), 324(4), 111 of BNS 2023, along with provisions of the Arms Act, 1959. SP Madhvi Sharma confirmed to the media that preliminary investigations established that 23–24 rounds were fired by the two unknown assailants. Police are examining CCTV footage from surrounding areas to trace the suspects, while multiple angles—extortion, gang activity and targeted intimidation—are being probed.

Senior police officials, including SSP Gaurav Toora, also visited Raju’s residence. The SSP assured that the attackers would be apprehended soon and stated that the law-and-order situation remained under control, with intensified patrols across the area.

The incident has drawn sharp political reactions. Phagwara MLA Balwinder Singh Dhaliwal termed the episode a complete failure of the AAP-led Punjab government. Former Union Minister Som Prakash, who also met Raju, condemned the attack and alleged that incidents of firing had escalated in Punjab since the formation of the AAP government. He claimed the current situation was “more dangerous than the terrorism days,” citing what he described as weakened law-and-order mechanisms.In response, AAP leaders including MP Dr. Raj Kumar Chabbewal, Baltej Pannu (State Media Incharge), Mayor Ram Pal Uppal, Harnoor Singh Harji Mann, Jaspal Singh and others visited the residence in a show of support.

They maintained that the state government’s Yudh Nasheya Virudh (War Against Drugs) campaign had severely disrupted the operations of drug networks and gangster circles, prompting retaliatory attempts to intimidate frontline coordinators like Raju. They asserted that the party would not be deterred by such threats and would continue its crackdown on narcotics and organised crime.

Police said the investigation is ongoing and efforts to identify and arrest the suspects are being intensified. have since registered a case under Sections 308(5),61(2),324(4), 111 of BNS and 25-54-59 arms act at Satnampura Police Station. SSP Gaurav Toora said the police were examining multiple angles — including extortion, gang rivalry, and targeted intimidation — and added that efforts were underway to scrutinise CCTV footage from the surrounding areas to identify the assailants.Police patrols have been intensified in the area as efforts to trace the suspects gain momentum.