‘Revenge for Moose Wala’: Kabaddi player shot dead in front of hundreds at Mohali tournament

MOHALI: A kabaddi player and promoter was shot dead in front of hundreds of spectators at a tournament in Mohali on Monday evening, triggering panic at the venue and triggering concerns over law and order in Punjab. It was revenge for Sidhu Moose Wala's murder, a rival gang of Lawrence Bishnoi boasted on social media, naming the killers as 'Makkhan Amritsar and Defaulter Karne'.

The victim, Kanwar Digvijay Singh alias Rana Balachauria, 30, was a well-known kabaddi promoter as well. He was married just 10 days ago.


The attackers approached Balachauria for selfies while Sohana Kabaddi Cup was on, and gunned him down at point-blank range, said Mohali senior SP Harmandeep Singh Hans. Police have confirmed the gang's social media post.

Police said Balachauria was one of the organisers of the tournament being held in Sector 82 sports ground of Mohali. Two hitmen arrived on a motorcycle and managed to get close to Balachauria on the pretext of selfies. Balachauria was used to people asking to be clicked with him and suspected nothing.

As soon as they got close, they drew pistols and started shooting in front of horrified spectators, players and organisers. Even as the crowd of 500-600 scattered in panic, the gunmen fired several shots in the air to cover their escape.

Hit multiple times, Balachauria collapsed on the ground. Police took him to a private hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival.

Police recovered four to five empty shells of.32 calibre around the blood-soaked patch of earth. "Prima facie, it appears six to seven rounds were fired. Teams from crime branch and local police have fanned out in multiple directions. CCTV footage from the area is being analysed," the SSP said.

Eyewitnesses described scenes of confusion and terror following the attack. "There was panic and chaos everywhere. People were running and screaming. We could not understand what happened at first and then pandemonium broke out," said a witness.

Minutes after the murder, the Chaudhary-Shaganpreet gang claimed responsibility, claiming they had "avenged the death of their brother Sidhu Moosewala".

In a social media post, the gang wrote, "Today, at the Mohali Sohana Sahib Kabaddi Cup, Rana Balachauria was murdered and we — Doni Bal, Saganpreet, Mohabbat Randhawa, Amar Khabbe, Prabh Dasuwal, and Kaushal Chaudhary — take responsibility for it. Balachauria was associated with our rivals Jaggu Khoti and Lawrence (Bishnoi). He sheltered the killer of Sidhu Moosewala and was involved himself. Today, by eliminating Rana, we avenged our brother Moosewala. This act was carried out by our brothers Makkhan Amritsar and Defaulter Karne."

The public murder led Opposition parties to questioning the state's law-and-order. Gurdaspur MP and former Punjab deputy CM Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa said: "It exposes a serious failure of law and order in Punjab. When criminals act so brazenly, public safety is clearly at risk. The Bhagwant Mann govt must act immediately."

Phagwara MLA Balwinder Singh Dhaliwal, a former IAS officer, said: "Enough is enough. Another sporting event in Punjab has been scarred by gun violence. The Mohali shooting is a glaring indictment of the state's collapsing law and order. When criminals can openly fire weapons at public events, how are ordinary citizens supposed to feel safe? This culture of armed impunity cannot be allowed to continue. The govt must act decisively to restore peace and public confidence."