AAP sarpanch shot at in Batala village

Batala: Unidentified assailants opened fire at Gurbindar Singh, the AAP youth president for the Fatehgarh Churian assembly constituency and sarpanch of Qadian Rajputan, in Punjab's Gurdaspur district on Tuesday evening, leaving him critically wounded.Gurbindar Singh was about to step into his vehicle after visiting his uncle at his home in Qadian Rajputan, around 14 km from Batala, when the attackers carrying a box of sweets fired three shots and fled, said family members. His uncle, Mukhbain Singh, said two bullets struck Gurbindar in the legs.Family members and villagers rushed Gurbindar to the civil hospital in Batala, from where he was referred to a hospital in Amritsar. Doctors said he is now out of danger. Fatehgarh Churian DSP Lalit Kumar said a case has been registered and an investigation is underway. Police are exploring multiple angles to determine the motive behind the attack. Meanwhile, a social media post claiming responsibility for the shooting on behalf of a gangster group has surfaced online. The post reads, "...We, Aadesh Jamaraye and Nishan Jodian, take responsibility for the firing on the sarpanch. He caused harm to our brothers." Police said the authenticity of the post is still being verified. Three sarpanches and an AAP functionary have been killed in Punjab since Jan. While Valtoha sarpanch Jarmal Singh was shot dead at a wedding in Amritsar on Jan 4, AAP functionary Satwinderpal Singh was allegedly shot dead by two unidentified assailants in Jalandhar on Feb 6. Just 12 days later, a Tarn Taran village head, Harbringer Singh, was killed while dancing at a wedding on Feb 18, and on March 6, sarpanch Harwinder Singh of Patto Hira Singh village was fatally attacked at his gym on the Baghapurana-Kotkapura road in Moga.