Dera follower shot dead in Punjab's Faridkot; incident caught on CCTV

Pardeep Singh 37 was shot in his dairy shop at around 715 am in Kotkapura in Faridkot, they said, adding that his security man and another person sustained bullet injuries in the incident.Canada-based gangster Goldy Brar claimed responsibility for the murder in a purported social media post.

A Dera Sacha Sauda follower, who was an accused in the 2015 sacrilege cases, was shot dead on Thursday by six unidentified assailants in Punjab's Faridkot district, police said. Pardeep Singh (37) was shot in his dairy shop at around 7:15 am in Kotkapura in Faridkot, they said, adding that his security man and another person sustained bullet injuries in the incident.

Canada-based gangster Goldy Brar claimed responsibility for the murder in a purported social media post. Brar is the main accused in the murder case of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala, who was shot dead in May. ''The incident was caught on a CCTV camera installed nearby. Of the six motorcycle-borne assailants, two entered Pardeep Singh's shop and opened fire at him. After they ran out of the shop, the other four waiting outside also opened fire,'' a police officer said. According to police, Pardeep Singh's gunman retaliated and several shots were fired in the incident. After committing the crime, the assailants fled on two motorcycles, leaving behind the third.

Police later recovered two motorcycles from Bajakhana area, around 20 km from Kotkapura.

Pardeep Singh was an accused in a case of theft of a 'bir' (copy) of the Guru Granth Sahib from Burj Jawahar Singh Wala village in June 2015 and also in a case linked to torn pages of the Sikh holy book being found scattered in Bargari in October that year in Faridkot. He was currently on bail.

Pardeep Singh's killing comes days after the November 4 murder of Shiv Sena (Taksali) leader Sudhir Suri in Amritsar. Both the victims had police protection.

Meanwhile, the latest incident prompted the opposition parties to attack the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government over the law and order situation in the state. Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Arpit Shukla told PTI, ''Investigation into the case is going on. We have launched a manhunt to nab the assailants.'' A case has been registered under relevant sections, including 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code, at Kotkapura city police station.

Pardeep's wife Simran, in her complaint lodged with the police, claimed a “deep conspiracy” behind the murder of her husband. According to the FIR lodged in the matter, she accused the previous state governments of playing dirty politics by blaming Dera followers for sacrilege incidents and trapping them in false cases. ''By doing so, they created an atmosphere against them (Dera followers) and gave it a religious colour whereas the Dera followers respect all religions, she claimed.

She further alleged that the governments misused the media for creating a negative propaganda and as a result of which, anti-social elements committed crime.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann called a meeting of senior officers of state administration and police officials during which he was briefed about the murder. He said his government will not allow any anti-social element to disturb the hard-earned peace and communal harmony of the state at any cost.

He also asked police to nab those behind the killing of the Dera follower at the earliest.

Director General of Police (Home Guards) Sanjiv Kalra said Mann asserted that peace and harmony be maintained in the state.

The chief minister also asked police to enhance the vigil across the state.

Replying to a question on Brar claiming responsibility for the murder, Kalra said, ''All is under investigation.'' Several senior officers, including ADGP Shukla and Inspector General of Police (Faridkot Range) Pradeep Kumar Yadav, visited the crime spot and took stock of the situation. A forensic team also collected bullet shells from the site. Later, the post-mortem examination of Pardeep Singh was conducted. Punjab Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav urged people to maintain peace and harmony in the state. ''The situation is under control and I urge people to maintain peace and harmony in the state. @PunjabPoliceInd is doing proper investigation. Request citizens not to panic or spread fake news or any hate speech,'' the DGP said in a tweet. Speaking to reporters, IGP Pradeep Yadav said police have got some leads and are working on them. Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda sought a high-level probe into the incident. Dera spokesperson Jitendra Khurana strongly condemned the incident and appealed to its followers to maintain peace and harmony. Incidents of theft of the 'bir' of the Guru Granth Sahib, putting up of handwritten sacrilegious posters and torn pages of the holy book found in Bargari had triggered protests in Faridkot in 2015. Two persons were killed in Behbal Kalan in Faridkot, while some people were injured in Kotkapura after police fired at protesters in October 2015. PTI CHS VSD SRY SRY