Hindu Shiv Sena leader shot dead in Gurdaspur

Ravi Dhaliwal
Tribune News Service
Gurdaspur, April 5

A local leader belonging to the Hindu Shiv Sena (Thackeray) was shot dead allegedly by three people at Puranshala, about 6 km from Gurdaspur, on Friday evening.  

Ajay Thakur (25), vice president of the Hindu Shiv Sena (Thackeray), was shot dead when he was about to board a bus from near the bus stand.

SSP Swarandeep Singh and a team of senior officers reached the spot. A dog squad was also requisitioned.

The SSP said the suspects who shot dead Thakur have been identified as Deep, Prince and Meeta.

An officer claimed that all the three are “known bad characters of the city”.

Thakur was accompanied by his party’s district president Varinder Singh Munna when one of the accused pulled out a firearm and shot Thakur dead from point blank range. The accused were riding a motorcycle.

Heavy police deployment was made in almost all parts of the city.

Munna claimed that 15 days ago he had met the SSP and submitted a representation “that he and other members of his party apprehended an attack on some of his party leaders”.

The SSP, however, denied that he had given a representation pertaining to an attack.

“Munna never gave an application seeking any type of attack or had sought police protection. He actually gave a representation claiming that the anecdotes of Kashmiri students staying in the city should be checked,” said the SSP.

In April 2015, Harvinder Soni, another member of Hindu Shiv Sena (Thakeray), was attacked in the crowded Fish Park. Immediately after the assault, the Punjab Police gave protection to many Hindu leaders.

In Gurdaspur itself, security was provided to as many as four top Hindu leaders.

The SSP denied that Thakur’s murder was related to the forthcoming polls.

“Preliminary investigations have revealed that the incident in no way is related to the polls. I have formed five teams, all which are working under my direct supervision. We have definite information about the whereabouts of all the three accused and hope to arrest them tonight,” he said.

About 15 minutes after the incident, a dozen check posts were set up by the police.

Senior officers were asked to supervise checking of vehicles. Security was particularly stringent in and around Hanuman Chowk, bus stand, railway station and the Gurdaspur-Pathankot and Gurdaspur-Amritsar national highways.